Low self-esteem, “out of control” feelings, and eating disorders

A common complaint related to Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is a feeling of overall low self-esteem, and the feeling of being out of control which can lead to, among other things, anorexia and bulimia.  Patients sometimes find themselves functioning at obviously inadequate levels.  They often feel as if they cannot control their emotions, their reactions, or their thoughts.  They find it difficult to find the motivation to accomplish even simple tasks.  Yet, when they notice these shortcomings and they cannot, by looking at themselves in the mirror, see anything wrong, they can begin to have diminished self-esteem.  They sometimes have an overwhelming feeling of not being in control of their lives.  All these feelings are very understandable when one considers the physiological process underlying Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome and the consequent decrease in available resources to cope with the normal tasks of daily living.  Occasionally, these feelings can be coupled with an increased tendency toward inappropriate weight gain.  This can lead to feelings of guilt and self-disgust.  Such a situation may lead a person to resort to eating-disorder behavior such as anorexia and/or bulimia.

One such patient I recall was a 26-year-old woman complaining of classic signs and symptoms of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome.  She admitted to a four-year history of bulimia that had ended one year prior to seeing me.  With treatment her symptoms quickly resolved.  Only after her symptoms of WTS had resolved was she able to admit that she had not quit her bulimic behavior a year previously, but was still actively bulimic with episodes of vomiting even up to nine times a day up until the time that I began treating her.  As her level of resources, and balance of variables affecting her weight were normalized, she noticed that her inappropriate feelings of being overwhelmed and having a lack of resources lifted.  Her improvement has persisted even though proper T3 therapy has since been weaned.  She stated that since the thyroid treatment had restored her to feeling “normal” again, she has found that she no longer has the tendency for bulimic behavior.  Interestingly, the patient’s weight was not significantly different after treatment as compared to before.

Another patient I had treated had a long standing history of anorexia.  With treatment and resolution of her other symptoms of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, her feelings about herself and her priorities changed over a period of months.  Her anorexia tendencies have resolved.  She is now so appreciative of feeling happy, healthy, strong, and functional, that she is not preoccupied about her weight.  Prior to treatment, she was eating virtually nothing and it was only after treatment that she began eating three meals a day in a more normal meal pattern.  To the astonishment of her children, she would even share meals with them at the table, which is something the children had not seen in years.  They weren’t accustomed to their mother sitting down for dinner in front of a plate of food and eating dinner with them.  They were extremely excited at this development.

With such dramatic responses, in some cases, to proper recognition and treatment of WTS and DTSF, one can see that some of the psychological, social, and mental disorders that people many times assume are in people’s minds, frequently have an extremely significant physiological component.