Addictive

and Unhealthy
Behaviors
 Defining and Understanding
Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa
A psychological disease characterized by an
intense fear of becoming obese, a disturbed
body image, a significant weight loss, the
refusal to maintain normal body weight, and
amenorrhea.
Characteristics of Anorexia Nervosa

• Weight loss to 15% below normal

• Intense fear of gaining weight or being fat,
despite being underweight
• Disturbance in one’s experience of body
weight, size, and shape
• Females: absence of at least three
consecutive expected menstrual cycles

(APA, 1994)
 Understanding Anorexia Nervosa

• Anorexia is potentially deadly; it can lead to

starvation and other medical complications
such as heart disease.

• Affected individuals don’t see themselves

as abnormal.
Defining and Understanding Eating
Disorders
Bulimia

An episodic eating pattern of uncontrollable

food bingeing followed by purging,
characterized by an awareness that the
pattern is abnormal, fear of being unable to
stop eating voluntarily, depressed mood, and
self-deprecation.
 Characteristics of Bulimia
• Recurrent binge eating

• A sense of lacking control over eating behavior during the

binges

• Engaging in regular self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or

diuretics, strict dieting or fasting, or vigorous exercise in
order to prevent weight gain

• Average minimum of two binge-eating episodes a week for

three months

• Persistent over-concern with body shape and weight

(APA, 1994)
 Understanding Bulimia

• Condition is severe but less severe than

anorexia.

• Bulimia can lead to anorexia.

• Bulimic individuals are aware that they have

a problem.
 Research on the Prevalence
of Eating Disorders in Sport
• Athletes appear to have a greater occurrence of eating-related
problems (disordered eating) than does the general
population.

• Female athletes, in general, report higher rates of eating

disorders than male athletes, which is similar to rates for the
general population.

• Athletes and non-athletes have similar eating-related

symptoms.

• A significant percentage of athletes engage in pathogenic

eating or weight loss behaviors (e.g., bingeing, fasting),
although subclinical in intensity.
 Predisposing Factors

• Weight restrictions and standards

• Coach and peer pressure
• Sociocultural factors
• Performance demands
• Judging criteria
Physical Signs of Eating Disorders

• Weight too low

• Considerable weight loss
• Extreme fluctuations in weight
• Bloating
• Swollen salivary glands
• Amenorrhea

(continued)
 Physical Signs of Eating Disorders
• Carotinemia—yellowish palms or soles of feet
• Sores or calluses on knuckles or back or hand from
inducing vomiting
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Muscle cramps
• Stomach complaints
• Headaches, dizziness, or weakness from electrolyte
disturbances
• Numbness and tingling in limbs from electrolyte
disturbances
• Stress fractures
 Psychological–Behavioral Signs
of Eating Disorders
• Excessive dieting
• Excessive eating without weight gain
• Excessive exercise that is not part of normal training program
• Guilt about eating
• Claims of feeling fat at normal weight despite reassurance from others
• Preoccupation with food
• Avoidance of eating in public and denial of hunger
• Hoarding food
• Disappearing after meals
• Frequent weighing
• Binge eating
• Evidence of self-induced vomiting
• Use of drugs such as diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics to control
weight
 Dos and Don’ts for Dealing with Eating Disorders

• Do get help and advice from a specialist.

• Do be supportive and empathetic.
• Do express concern about general feelings, not specifically about
weight.
• Do make referrals to a specific person and, when possible, make
appointments for the individual.
• Do emphasize the importance of long-term good nutrition.
• Do provide information about eating disorders.
• Don’t ask the athlete to leave team or curtail participation, unless so
instructed by a specialist.
• Don’t recommend weight loss or gain.
• Don’t hold team weigh-ins.
• Don’t single out or treat the individual differently from other
participants.
 Making Referrals

• A person who has a rapport with the individual should

schedule a private meeting to discuss the matter.

• Emphasize feelings rather than directly focusing on eating

behaviors.

• Be supportive and keep all information confidential.

• Make a referral to a specific clinic or person.

 Preventing Eating Disorders
in Athletes and Coaches

• Promote proper nutritional practices.

• Focus on fitness, not body weight.
• Be sensitive to weight issues.
• Promote healthy management of weight.
 Substance Abuse

• 98% of elite athletes said they would take a

banned performance-enhancing substance
with two guarantees—they would not be
caught and they would win.

• 60% said they would do so even if it meant

they would die from the side effects.
 Defining Substance Abuse

Substance abuse

A maladaptive pattern of psychoactive substance use indicated by one

of two patterns of use: continued use despite knowledge of having a
persistent or recurring social, occupational, psychological, or physical
problems that are caused or exacerbated by use of the psychoactive
substance; or recurrent use in situations in which the use is physically
hazardous (e.g., driving).

Some symptoms of the disturbance have persisted for at least one

month or have occurred repeatedly over a longer period.
 Defining Drug Addiction

Drug addiction

A state in which either discontinuing or

continual use of a drug create an
overwhelming desire, need, and craving for
more of the substance.
 Prevalence of Substance
Abuse in Sports

Most studies have focused on alcohol and steroid use:

• Alcohol use: 55% to 92% of high school athletes; 87% to 88% of

college athletes.

• Performance-enhancing drugs: reported use by 5% of high school

and college athletes (40 to 60% among elite athletes).
 Steroid use a male and female thing:

• Traditionally, the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as

steroids has been seen as predominantly a male domain.

• However, recent research has revealed that young girls (some as

young as 9 years old) are using bodybuilding steroids—not
necessarily to get an edge on the playing field but to get the toned,
sculpted look of models and movie stars.
 Why Athletes and Exercisers Use Drugs

Physical reasons include wanting to:

- enhance performance,
- rehabilitate injury,
- look better, and
- control appetite and lose weight,
- escape from unpleasant emotions or stress,
- build confidence or enhance self-esteem, and
- seek thrills,
- peer pressure and
- emulating athletic heroes.
 Reducing the Probability
of Substance Abuse (Prevention)

Be aware of the warning signs of substance abuse:

Change in behavior (lack of motivation, tardiness, absenteeism)

Change in peer group
Major change in personality
Major change in performance (academic or athletic)
Apathetic or listless behavior
Impaired judgment
Poor coordination
Poor hygiene and grooming
Profuse sweating
Muscular twitches or tremors
 Addiction to Exercise
• Exercise addiction: A psychological or physiological dependence on
a regular regimen of exercise that is characterized by withdrawal
symptoms after 24 to 36 hours without exercise

• Positive addiction to exercise: A condition in which exercise is

viewed as important in one’s life but is successfully integrated with
other aspects of life (healthy habit)

• Negative addiction to exercise: A condition in which life becomes

structured around exercise to such an extent that home and work
responsibilities suffer
 Preventing Negative Addiction to Exercise

• Schedule rest days.

• Work out regularly with a slower partner.
• If you’re injured, stop exercising until healed.
• Train hard–easy: Mix in low intensity and less distance with days of
harder training.
• If interested in health aspect, exercise three or four times a week for
30 minutes.
• Set realistic short- and long-term goals.
Prevalence of Compulsive Gambling
• 72% of NCAA Division I football and basketball athletes
engage in some form of gambling.

• 12% of male and 3% of female college athletes have

problematic/pathological gambling problems.

• 6% to 8% of college students are compulsive gamblers.

• A 2003 NCAA study showed that 35% of male athletes and

10% of female athletes bet on college sports, and
approximately 60% of NCAA Division I and 40% of Division III
athletes did not know the NCAA rules about gambling.

• 6% to 8% of college students are compulsive gamblers.

• Gambling by high school students is thought to be

widespread.
 Signs of Compulsive Gambling

Keys
• Identification is next to impossible.

• Use the following Gamblers Anonymous 20 Questions for self-

identification.

• Sport psychology professionals should make referrals when

negative consequences appear.
ANY QUESTIONS?