Cognitive Distortions (Cognitive Impairment) – Is It One Of The Symptoms Of Anorexia?
Cognitive distortions, distorted thinking, or cognitive impairment is common in people with anorexia, or those who suffer from disordered eating, and treatment requires cognitive behavior modification. When related to eating disorders, cognitive distortions can be thought of as reasoning errors, dysfunctional thoughts or irrational ideas. These habitual thoughts unconsciously influence a person’s perceptions, emotions and behaviors. Each one of us has a pre-defined cognitive style, or set of relatively stable (we hope!) thought patterns that serve to organize and interpret information. In people with eating disorders, thought patterns exist that are the result of processing or reasoning errors. This sort of cognitive impairment distorts our experiences, and one of the visible signs of that is mood disturbances. The tricky part for health care workers is determining which cognitive distortions are present prior to the onset of the eating disorder, and which ones are the result of semi-s
