What to Expect in Therapy for Eating Disorders
You can expect a supportive, shame-free environment with a therapist that will practice evidence-based treatment.
Therapy may involve treating underlying trauma, stress-management, emotional exploration, homework and behavior modification, feminist unpacking of social constructions and a focus on relationships. Your therapist will assess your unique situation to determine the best course of treatment. We also welcome our client preferences in how they want to be treated.
Eating disorders (ED) are complex mental health conditions that involve an unhealthy relationship to food, whether it is eating too little (anorexia), eating too much (bulimia), or losing control of eating (binge eating). Eating disorders are serious psychological conditions that require an experienced therapist with specialized training.
Around 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Research also shows that eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among mental health disorders, while anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness among adolescents.
Although eating disorders can affect anyone, they are most prevalent among adolescents and young women.
Reasons to Seek Treatment for Eating Disorders
While people with eating disorders can experience a variety of symptoms. Nevertheless, the most common symptoms of eating disorders include:
Therapy may involve treating underlying trauma, stress-management, emotional exploration, homework and behavior modification, feminist unpacking of social constructions and a focus on relationships. Your therapist will assess your unique situation to determine the best course of treatment. We also welcome our client preferences in how they want to be treated.
Eating disorders (ED) are complex mental health conditions that involve an unhealthy relationship to food, whether it is eating too little (anorexia), eating too much (bulimia), or losing control of eating (binge eating). Eating disorders are serious psychological conditions that require an experienced therapist with specialized training.
Around 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Research also shows that eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among mental health disorders, while anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness among adolescents.
Although eating disorders can affect anyone, they are most prevalent among adolescents and young women.
Reasons to Seek Treatment for Eating Disorders
While people with eating disorders can experience a variety of symptoms. Nevertheless, the most common symptoms of eating disorders include:
- Food binges
- Severe restriction of food
- Vomiting
- Over-exercising
Anorexia Nervosa
This type of eating disorder usually develops during adolescence or young adulthood. People who struggle with anorexia nervosa tend to view themselves as overweight even when they are dangerously underweight. They avoid eating certain types of food, severely limit their calories, and constantly monitor their weight. Individuals with anorexia have a distorted body image, denying that they are seriously underweight. Also, their perceived body shape influences self-esteem and mood.
Bulimia
People with bulimia nervosa take large amounts of food in a short period of time and then purge. During binge eating, the person experiences a feeling of lack of control and cannot stop eating until she or he feels painfully full. After a binge, the person attempts to purge to relieve discomfort and make up for the calories consumed.
Most commonly, purging behaviors involve forced vomiting, the use of laxatives and diuretics, excessive exercise, and fasting. Alike people with anorexia, individuals with bulimia usually maintain a relatively normal weight. |
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Binge Eating
Binge eating involves uncontrollably consuming large amounts of food in short periods. Binge eating disorder typically begins during adolescence and early childhood. The person with this disorder usually feels a lack of control during a binge eating episode. The feelings of shame, disgust, and guilt are also often present. However, people with binge eating disorder don’t restrict calories or use purging behaviors to compensate for excessive eating.
Other eating disorders involve pica (eating things that are not considered food), avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (common in infancy and early childhood – disturbed eating due to distaste of certain foods or a lack of interest in eating), and rumination disorder (spitting up food that is previously shewed, re-chewing it and then either swallowing it or spitting it out).
Other eating disorders involve pica (eating things that are not considered food), avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (common in infancy and early childhood – disturbed eating due to distaste of certain foods or a lack of interest in eating), and rumination disorder (spitting up food that is previously shewed, re-chewing it and then either swallowing it or spitting it out).
How are Eating Disorders Treated?
If you have an eating disorder, your treatment may depend on the type of your particular disorder and your symptoms. The treatment typically involves a combination of psychotherapy, nutrition education, and medications.
However, eating disorders are sometimes triggered by other mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression, and it is important to address these underlying conditions.
Managing an eating disorder can be challenging, so it is important to stay determined. Your treatment team may involve health professionals such as your GP, a psychologist or psychiatrist, a registered dietitian, as well as your partner, parents, and/or other family members.
However, eating disorders are sometimes triggered by other mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression, and it is important to address these underlying conditions.
Managing an eating disorder can be challenging, so it is important to stay determined. Your treatment team may involve health professionals such as your GP, a psychologist or psychiatrist, a registered dietitian, as well as your partner, parents, and/or other family members.
Evidence-Based Treatments
Evidence-based treatment involves the thorough and explicit use of available evidence in making decisions about the care of each patient. This usually means that the treatment has been used in a research study and proven to be effective in treating eating disorder symptoms. It also means that such treatment works for a large number of patients.
One study has shown that for adult patients with anorexia nervosa, none of the treatment options has been confirmed as superior. However, for individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are the most effective treatments.
Evidence-based psychotherapy can help you normalize your eating patterns, achieve and maintain a healthy weight, learn how to monitor your eating habits and your moods, improve your mood, exchange unhealthy behaviors for healthy ones, learn new ways to cope with stress, and improve your relationships. The two most commonly used evidence-based treatments for eating disorders are cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.
One study has shown that for adult patients with anorexia nervosa, none of the treatment options has been confirmed as superior. However, for individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are the most effective treatments.
Evidence-based psychotherapy can help you normalize your eating patterns, achieve and maintain a healthy weight, learn how to monitor your eating habits and your moods, improve your mood, exchange unhealthy behaviors for healthy ones, learn new ways to cope with stress, and improve your relationships. The two most commonly used evidence-based treatments for eating disorders are cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of evidence-based psychotherapy treatment that focuses on your behaviors, feelings, and thoughts, rather on your eating disorder. CBT targets maladaptive thoughts and behaviors that maintain your ED symptoms. This type of psychotherapy aims to help you recognize and change your distorted thoughts that cause eating disorder behaviors.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Interpersonal therapy is another evidence-based treatment that effectively treats bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. IPT puts your eating disorder into a social context, targeting the interpersonal difficulties that maintain your ED symptoms.
IPT helps you improve relationships and communication and resolve interpersonal issues, which in turn leads to a reduction of eating disorder symptoms. |