An eating disorder occurs when an individual has a distorted relationship with food, a distorted body image, and unhealthy obsessions about food, exercise, or their body. Eating disorders are very serious problems that often develop over a long period of time and eventually impact on a person’s whole life, their health, and their relationships.
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Eating disorders can quickly become life-threatening, with a sufferer of Anorexia Nervosa eighteen times more likely to die prematurely.
1.
Treating
the initial complications
Eating disorders can be life-threatening, with many
patients with Anorexia Nervosa
becoming dangerously-underweight, anemic, and putting their heart and other
organs at severe risk. Initial treatment for the patient with an eating
disorder is focused on treating complications caused by condition.
2.
Changing
unhealthy thought patterns
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
focuses on changing the destructive and distorted thought patterns that the eating
disordered individual has surrounding food. By working with a therapist over
ten to twenty structured sessions, the individual learns to identify
maladaptive thoughts (e.g. Food is the
enemy), and replace them with healthy thoughts (e.g. A healthy diet is essential if I am to be healthy). In that
respect, CBT is often the treatment of choice for individuals with an eating
disorder.
3.
Treating
co-existing psychological disorders
Depression
exists in up to fifty percent of cases of Anorexia Nervosa. A skilled
psychotherapist will be able to not only treat the Anorexia Nervosa, but will
also treat the depression. Additionally, many patients with eating disorders
experience high levels of stress (either due to concerns about eating food, or
because they experience high anxiety in general). A psychotherapist will be
able to teach methods to counteract that anxiety, helping improve the patient’s
response to treatment.
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4.
Teaching
about a healthy diet
Patients with eating disorders often lose sight of
what is a healthy diet and what isn’t. Due to the distortions that occur around
food, many patients with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa can struggle to know what
they should eat. A nutritional counsellor will help their patient learn about
the values of various foods, and decide on a diet plan that’s balanced and
healthy.
5.
Allowing
the patient to focus on recovery
In-patient treatment can be particularly effective for
patients with eating disorders. By removing the patient from the stresses of
the world and placing them into a therapeutic environment with a high-level of
care, the patient can be allowed to fully focus on the task of recovering.
Additionally, being surrounded by others who are in various stages of recovery
may help the patient to recognise the challenges they are facing, making them
better-able to cope.
6.
Improving
unstable familial relationships
Family relationships are frequently impacted when a
relative develops an eating disorder. Occasionally, stress caused by a poor
relationship could be a triggering factor in the development of an eating
disorder. By working with a family therapist to improve those relationships,
the patient is promised the chance to emerge into a stronger, more supportive
family who are better able to cope with their condition.
Although an eating disorder is a complex condition, a
carefully-managed treatment program makes a holistic recovery possible.
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