title: Posturographic destabilization in eating disorders in female patients exposed to body image related phobic stimuli.
abstract: Human postural control is dependent on the central integration of vestibular, visual and proprioceptive inputs. Psychological states can affect balance control: anxiety, in particular, has been shown to influence balance mediated by visual stimuli. We hypothesized that patients with eating disorders would show postural destabilization when exposed to their image in a mirror and to the image of a fashion model representing their body ideal in comparison to body neutral stimuli. Seventeen females patients attending a day centre for the treatment of eating disorders were administered psychometric measures of body dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression and underwent posturographic measures with their eyes closed, open, watching a neutral stimulus, while exposed to a full length mirror and to an image of a fashion model corresponding to their body image. Results were compared to those obtained by eighteen healthy subjects. Eating disordered patients showed higher levels of body dissatisfaction and higher postural destabilization than controls, but this was limited to the conditions in which they were exposed to their mirror image or a fashion model image. Postural destabilization under these conditions correlated with measures of body dissatisfaction. In eating disordered patients, body related stimuli seem to act as phobic stimuli in the posturographic paradigm used. If confirmed, this has the potential to be developed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forghieri
authors.affiliation: Section of ENT, Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monzani
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Section of ENT, Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gherpelli
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. Electronic address: gianmaria.galeazzi@unimore.it.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D004856:Postural Balance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; Balance; Body dissatisfaction; Eating disorder; Posturography