Eating Disorder Help

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Author:
Michael Russell

In this article we're going to cover treatments for Bulimia Nervosa. These treatments actually apply to most eating disorders as they are more or less caused by the same emotional problems.

While eating disorders stem from emotional issues in a person's life they are nevertheless still serious health conditions that can do great physical harm to the person as well as the emotional harm that has come before it and will continue long after. Early diagnosis gives a person suffering from an eating disorder a better chance for recovery. Eating disorders can become chronic, debilitating, and even life-threatening. Early treatment is critical.

The only really effective and long lasting treatment for an eating disorder like Bulimia Nervosa is some kind of psychotherapy or counseling. This along with attention to both medical and nutritional treatments proves effective in getting a person through this terrible disease. Of course the treatment is going to vary from individual to individual because of the emotional nature of the disease and the severity to which each person is suffering.

Treatment usually involves some form of psychological counseling where the therapist must not only address the eating disorder itself but the underlying reasons for why the person is behaving in this manner. This behavior is usually caused by psychological, interpersonal, and cultural influences and forces. Peer pressure is one of the most common causes of this kind of behavior; the feeling that one has to be thin to fit in with the crowd. That is why this disease targets mostly young girls. The person performing the actual counseling can be a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, nutritionist or even a primary care physician. However in extreme cases a psychiatrist will most likely be needed. Whoever does provide the care should be experienced with treating eating disorders or greater harm than good can be done.

Nutritional counseling is also needed to make sure that the person suffering from this disease is getting a well balanced diet and that the person's progress is monitored such as weekly weighing. Charts should be kept to make sure the person does not backslide.

Many people with eating disorders respond very well to outpatient therapy where they are allowed to go home after each session. This gives them a feeling of security being in a home environment for most of their treatment. Of course with this type of program it is important that the family carefully monitor the person while they are at home to make sure there is no bingeing and purging. Knowing what to look out for now, this becomes a lot easier.

However, in extreme cases inpatient therapy is required. This is usually necessary when the person is in the later stages of the disease and is already showing serious physical symptoms that are on the verge of becoming life threatening or when the psychological factor has become so strong that the person can no longer rationally function in a home environment. Inpatient therapy usually needs to be followed by a period of outpatient therapy as well until the person is able to function on their own.

Just like with alcoholism and drug addiction there is no cure. It is a daily battle fighting an eating disorder like Bulimia Nervosa. But with early detection and proper care and person can go on to lead a normal and healthy life.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Eating Disorders... Eating Disorders and the Narcissist Patients suffering from eating disorders binge on food and sometimes are both anorectic and bulimic. This is an impulsive behaviour as defined by the DSM (particularly in the case of BPD and to a lesser extent of Cluster B disorders in general). Some patients develop these disorders as a way to self-mutilate. It is a convergence of two pathological behaviours: self-mutilation and an impulsive (rather, compulsive or ritualistic) behaviour. The key to improving the mental state of patients with dual diagnosis (a personality disorder plus an eating disorder) lies in concentrating upon their eating and sleeping disorders. By controlling their eating disorders, patients assert control over their lives. This is bound to reduce their depression (even eliminate it altogether as a constant feature of their mental life). This is likely to ameliorate other facets of their personality disorders. Here is the chain: controlling one's eating disorders controlling one's life enhanced sense of self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem a challenge, an interest, an enemy to subjugate a feeling of strength socialising feeling better. When a patient has a personality disorder and an eating disorder, the therapist should concentrate on the eating disorder. Personality disorders are intricate and intractable. They are rarely curable (though certain aspects, like OCD, or depression can be ameliorated with medication). Their treatment calls for the enormous, persistent and continuous investment of resources of every kind by everyone involved. From the patient's point of view, the treatment of her personality disorder is not an efficient allocation of scarce mental resources. Also personality disorders are not the real threat. If a patient with a personality disorder is cured of it but...