Eating behavior in norm, in conditions of stress and in the presence of pathology: bibliographic review

This article presents the results of publications on the psychological problems of nutrition as one of the most important functions of a living organism, which provides adaptive functioning of all its systems through energy metabolism. The influence of nutrition on health promotion and development and correction of somatic and mental diseases (somatic illness нет такого сочетания) is shown based on the foundations and principles of rational, or so-called "healthy" nutrition, as a function of human/human being, which provides his normal biological, mental and social development and vital activity, proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results of studies revealing the role of unhealthy nutrition as one of the main risk factors for human health are described. General questions of nutrition and eating behavior problems, the clinical typology of its disorders, the psychophysiological, psychological and socio-psychological aspects of research on this problem are structurally presented. Representations about the role of stress and its consequences on the development of food deviations and stress-induced disorders are shown. The characteristic of the state of psychodiagnostic tools for studying eating behavior is given. In the generalization of the results, an evaluation of the terminological field characterizing healthy and unhealthy eating behavior, the criteria for their differentiation, including the justification for the isolation of their clinical forms, is given. Based on the analysis of existing classifications, the necessity of expanding the typology of variants of eating behavior based, among other things, on psychological categories is substantiated. The arguments supporting the idea of the relationship between eating disorders with somatic diseases (primarily alimentary and metabolic genesis) and mental (including behavioral) disorders are presented. The most important role of stress in the formation of eating disorders and stress-induced diseases is substantiated. The perspectives of developing programs for psychoprophylaxis and correction of disturbed eating behavior and its consequences are shown, including by using some psychological components in them (taking into account the role of craving for food, peculiarities of the cognitive sphere, psychological boundaries of the personality, character traits, etc.). Within the framework of the described tripartite influence model, social influence of family, peer and media factors on this behavior is reflected. The question about the need to develop a methodology and instrumental, including psychometric support for research on the problem of the norm and pathology of eating behavior in our country is raised.