Do any of you folks with depression noticed a change in your depressive patterns with how your ED manifests? When I was restricting, I was a quiet depressive. I would have panic attacks, but I was relatively "calm."
But when I was purging, I was wild. I had breakdowns almost every day, and would freak out at the drop of a hat. I once spent an entire night and day refusing to come home, and would spend an hour crying if someone suggested I did. I wasn't fun crazy either, I did stuff to keep my mind off of my own problems, up until my problems showed up and I had no idea what to do with them, so I'd just cry until bed (or whatever else came first).
In the same terms, different eating disorders are sometimes viewed as either "good" or "bad." Anorexia is typically viewed as a "good" ED, because it's not so messy, the person is viewed as wasting away. Bulimia, however, often involves vomit and/or feces, and is a messy ED.
Do you think that behavioral patterns are influenced by eating disorders, or do you believe eating disorders are influenced by behavioral patterns?
Personally, I think it's both. A perfectionist seeking control may develop an eating disorder, whereas someone with an eating disorder may believe their life is falling apart, and start to fall apart with it.
