Eating Disorders
Nourishing ourselves with food is an important part of remaining healthy and active. When a disorder centers on the reduction or complete elimination of the thing we need to sustain life, it can become dangerous very quickly. The following eating disorders are characterized by distorted thoughts about food intake, body shape, and size:
Anorexia Nervosa Extreme calorie and food restriction – often to self-starvation. Intense focus on weight, appearance, and body shape.
Bulimia Nervosa Eating large quantities of foods over a short period of time. Purging afterwards can be self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or taking laxatives.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Eating large quantities of foods over a short period of time, but instead of purging, intense feelings of shame, guilt, disgust, and sadness take over causing severe disturbance in mood and thoughts.
Eating disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors that coincide with distressing and distorted thoughts related to weight, body size, and appearance. They can escalate quickly when there is a perceived notice of weight change, which is why it’s important to get help as soon as an issue is noticed. There is an element of hyper-isolation and strong preference for privacy during an active eating disorder.
Visible signs of a potential eating disorder can include: rapid weight loss, conversation now centers on weight/appearance/exercise/caloric intake, tooth decay or mouth sores (due to frequent vomiting), increased amount of time spent alone in room or bathroom, avoidance of meals or events where food is being served, large quantities of food go missing without explanation, and intense mood shifts when food or weight is discussed.
The health implications associated with each eating disorder vary from person to person. Restricting food and excessive exercise can impact the heart, our nervous system, the ability to breathe comfortably, the endocrine system, and our bones, skin, and hair can be outer changes reflecting the inner damage.
Treatment should be a team effort, with there being a professional team (mental health and medical professionals) as well as a personal team (family and healthy peers). At Wellness Mental Health, we offer telehealth sessions and utilize both family-based therapy and cognitive behavioral approaches. They have been shown to be useful for treating specific eating disorders.
The Maudsley approach, for example, where parents of teens with anorexia nervosa assume responsibility for feeding their child/teenager, appears to be very effective in improving their eating habits and moods.
You and your loved ones deserve a healthy future with endless possibilities. If you want help for an eating disorder please contact us today for a free initial consultation.