Treatment for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious conditions that affect people physically and mentally. One of the most difficult things about diagnosing eating disorders is that people generally try to hide the fact that something is wrong. This makes it much more difficult for family members and friends to be able to notice the warning signs and symptoms that generally accompany eating disorders.

In the United States, approximately 10 million people suffer from some type of eating disorder. Many of them go untreated, largely because their symptoms go unrecognized by loved ones, and patients themselves are unable to admit to having a problem.

Understanding Eating Disorders

To people who do not understand eating disorders, it is difficult to comprehend why they are such a big deal. The fact is that eating disorders involve extreme fluctuations in eating behaviors and habits that can prove to be quite dangerous over time.

Binge eating, starvation, obsessively counting calories and throwing up after meals are all signs that an eating disorder may be present. More important than simply knowing what eating disorders are is understanding what causes them. They are much more complicated than simple food issues or temporary habits that may come and go.

Eating disorders stem from strong feelings of self-doubt and insecurity that ultimately cause people to develop distorted attitudes about their body image, weight and food in general. The negative thoughts that start to form eventually lead to harmful behaviors in an attempt to control aspects of their lives that they feel have gotten away from them.

There are three basic types of eating disorders:

• Bulimia, which typically involves cycles of bingeing and purging
• Anorexia, which involves starvation out of a fear of becoming fat
• Binge eating disorder, which involves cycles of extreme overeating

Learning to Spot the Signs of an Eating Disorder

If you are around someone often enough and you know them well enough to be aware of their general habits, you may be able to identify the presence of an eating disorder by looking for the following signs:

• Going to the bathroom immediately after meals
• Preoccupied with weight or body image
• Hiding foods from other people
• Avoidance of social activities where food is going to be served
• Continuous dieting, even if the person is thin
• Obsessively counting calories
• Taking diet pills or laxatives
• Extreme exercising (for one hour or more at a time, several times per week)
• Unexplained and/or sudden weight loss or weight gain

Eating Disorder Treatment Options

Because eating disorders have both physical and mental components, it is important that an eating disorder treatment program address the whole person holistically. The best treatment option for one person may not be the best for another, so it is beneficial to find a comprehensive program that incorporates medical and psychological treatments so that each person's unique needs can best be addressed.

For some people, nutritional counseling combined with group and individual therapy will bring about healthy changes in their attitudes about body image and food. For others, residential treatment or hospitalization may be necessary. The four primary types of eating disorder treatment include:

• Support groups - this type of counseling is helpful for people with eating disorders because it allows them to see that there are other people who are suffering with the same types of problems. It helps them to feel a bit less isolated and alone as they try to work through their issues.
• Individual therapy - talking one on one with a counselor who specializes in eating disorders helps patients understand the underlying causes of their eating disorder and develop a healthier self-image. This type of therapy also helps patients learn better ways of handling stress or emotional difficulties.
• Residential eating disorder treatment - this is usually necessary for patients who are suffering from severe physical or emotional problems, or those who do not want to participate in any type of eating disorder treatment program.
• Nutritional counseling - this type of treatment involves a nutritionist who specializes in treating eating disorders. These professionals can help patients eat healthier foods and maintain a healthy body weight without obsessing about foods, calories or weight.

It is important to understand that eating disorders require a great deal of time to overcome. They are not the type of illness that simply goes away after a short period of time. With the proper combination of therapy and medical treatment, patients can gradually return to leading a more normal life and achieve freedom from their obsessive, unhealthy behaviors toward food.

Patients are usually the most successful at recovering from their eating disorder when they have the support of their family and friends. The best way to help someone you care about who has an eating disorder is to provide encouragement without making the person feel pressured. If you set a good example by eating a healthy diet and exercising, the person may be willing to follow your lead.