Did you know that there can be eating disorders linked to schizophrenia? This may seem impossible to you at first glance because there seems to be no visible connection between this psychological condition and an eating disorder. But clinicians have found out that patients who have schizophrenia also have disturbances in their eating behaviors.

According to many researchers, eating disorders linked to schizophrenia may range from night eating syndrome to anorexia. It is common for patients to have experienced a period of fasting or being obsessed with bodyweight issues before having a psychotic episode. Many researchers feel that a difference between patients with eating disorders and with schizophrenia and those having eating disorders without schizophrenia is that the latter offers smokescreen reasons to justify their behaviors. For those with schizophrenia, along with eating problems, the result can be very demoralizing and distressing.

What are some of the critical eating disorders linked to schizophrenia?
The truth is that eating problems in patients having schizophrenia have been largely overlooked and underappreciated. Even when these have been detected, it is felt that the eating disorder will automatically go away when the psychosis comes down. Below are some of the most common eating disorders noticeable in people with schizophrenia:

• Anorexia nervosa
  This condition is defined as strikingly low body weight because of persistent limitations to energy intake; the intense fear of becoming overweight, and the persistent behavior interfering with weight gain lead to an emotional disturbance regarding one’s body shape or weight. The mental problems related to AN are anxiety disorders, major depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Reports show that males with AN are more likely to have schizophrenia than females. Many schizophrenia features also lead to anorexia, like a depressive condition associated with schizophrenia, which may cause a loss of appetite and weight loss. Because of paranoid delusions, patients may feel that the drinks or food being given to them are poisoned. So, they may refuse to eat food.
• Bulimia nervosa
  This condition is marked by recurring episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate behaviors to stop weight gain like fasting and self-induced vomiting. There are comparatively fewer data about BN in patients having schizophrenia. But reports suggest that BN is found with schizophrenia in 0.73% of males and 1.57% females.
• Binge eating disorder
  BED refers to consuming a massive amount of foods in relatively short periods. This is noticeable at least once every week for about 3 months and is typically accompanied by a feeling that one is losing control over one’s eating habits. If the patient is eating much faster than normal, eating alone, as they are embarrassed about the amount they eat, eating when they are not hungry, feeling depressed and disgusted with themselves, or having a lot of guilt for overeating, they have BED. Binge eating of this kind is also followed by the use of improper compensatory behaviors. According to studies, symptoms of BED were noticeable in patients with schizophrenia who were typically obese.
• Night eating syndrome
  This is marked by an abnormal increase in food intake during the evening or at night; such nocturnal awakenings are accompanied by indigestion at least two times a week. Sleep disorders are quite common in schizophrenia, and this can disturb hormones that control food intake. Almost 8% of 175 schizophrenic patients studied were found to have NES; this was mostly associated with high insomnia rates.