Treatment for Eating Disorders

This video shows a glimpse of a woman going through the recovery process. She struggles a lot throughout but after 6 weeks of intense therapy you can see how much seeking treatment helped her

Eating disorders are serious health conditions that can be both physically and emotionally destructive and even lead to death. Constantly stressing over food and body image can affect a person’s life in many ways. Relationships, physical health, performance at school and work, as well as other enjoyable activities in life can be negatively altered by an eating disorder. People with eating disorders need to seek professional help if they want to overcome it. Early diagnosis and intervention may enhance the recovery process.

Treatment should be customized for the individual being treated; this can vary from person to person depending on the severity of the disorder and their own personal problems, need, and strengths. The most effective and long-lasting treatment for an eating disorder is some form of psychotherapy or counseling, along with careful attention to the persons nutritional and medical needs. Usually care is provided by a licensed health professional, typically being a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, nutritionist, and/or primary care physician. The health professional should have expertise and experience in dealing with eating disorders and the individual being treated needs to be able to trust them. Treatment must address the eating disorder symptoms, as well as psychological, biological, interpersonal and cultural influences that contribute or maintain the eating disorder. Nutritional counseling is extremely vital to the recovery process. It should include education about nutritional needs and planning for and monitoring rational choices of the patient. Many people with eating disorders react well to outpatient therapy, including family or group therapy and medical care by their primary care provider. Support groups and psychiatric medications (taken under careful medical supervision) have also been proven to help some people through the recovery process. When an eating disorder has led to physical problems that may be life threatening or when the eating disorder has reached a sever level of psychological or behavioral problems inpatient care is absolutely necessary. Inpatient care includes hospitalization and/or residential care in an eating disorders specialty unit or facility. Inpatient stays typically require a period of outpatient follow-up and aftercare to address the underlying issues in the individual’s eating disorder.

            Treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia is often extremely expensive and can extend for several years. The cost of inpatient treatment can be $30,000 or more a month and the cost of outpatient treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can extend to $100,000 or more. Regardless of the expenses it takes to get treatment, it is worth it. An individual can overcome their eating disorder. They might not necessarily be completely cured because they might always have thoughts about food and weight but they will be able to manage those thoughts in a more productive and healthy way.