Treatments For Eating Disorders
Starting treatment as early as possible is important because there can be long-term health consequences for people with chronic eating disorders.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to treating eating disorders since everyone is different. Often a team of health professionals is involved in an individual’s treatment, including a psychologist, dietitian and doctor.
Some of the treatment options include:
Complications Of Eating Disorders
Although many people in the grip of an eating disorder appear very high-functioning on the outside, excelling at work and at home, inside, their bodies are in crisis. Some eventually fully recover. Others cycle through periods of recovery and relapse. And some become chronically ill or die.
According to NEDA, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. An estimated 20 percent of people with eating disorders eventually die from complications such as irregular or very low heartbeat , sudden cardiac arrest, severe liver disease, or suicide.
Even those who survive may face serious health issues, including but not limited to:
- Irreversible bone loss
Statistical Methods And Measurement Caveats
This webpage presents data from the following sources.
National Comorbidity Survey Replication
Diagnostic Assessment and Population:
- The NCS-R is a nationally representative, face-to-face, household survey conducted between February 2001 and April 2003 with a response rate of 70.9%. DSM-IV mental disorders were assessed using a modified version of the fully structured World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview , a fully structured lay-administered diagnostic interview that generates both International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, and DSM-IV diagnoses. The DSM-IV criteria were used here. Participants for the main interview totaled 9,282 English-speaking, non-institutionalized, civilian respondents. Eating disorders were assessed in a subsample of 2,980 respondents. The Sheehan Disability Scales assessed disability in work role performance, household maintenance, social life, and intimate relationships on 010 scales. The NCS-R was led by Harvard University.
Survey Non-response:
- In 2001-2002, non-response was 29.1% of primary respondents and 19.6% of secondary respondents. Reasons for non-response to interviewing include: refusal to participate respondent was reluctant- too busy but did not refuse circumstantial, such as intellectual developmental disability or overseas work assignment and household units that were never contacted .
- For more information, see PMID: 15297905.
National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement
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Meal Coaching And Support
Our virtual therapeutic-supported meals engage the client, clinician, and the clients treatment peers. These meals allow clients to increase their awareness of table behaviors, explore their eating patterns, and assess their overall relationship with food. Experiences throughout a meal can and will vary clinicians will respond to individual challenges surrounding meal and snack times. Prepping meals in their own kitchen gives clients the valuable opportunity to practice skills in the environment where they will be recovering.
Check Out Treatment Programs
There are three distinct treatment programs a person with an eating disorder may enter: outpatient, inpatient, and residential. These treatment programs are designed to create a structured environment in which eating disorder patients can receive help. The three programs vary in terms of intensity, with admission based on an individual patient’s health and needs.
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Where To Get Help
If you or someone you know has the symptoms of an eating disorder, it is important to seek professional help as early as possible. Eating disorders are damaging to the body and can even be fatal but they are treatable.
Visiting your doctor is the first step to recovery. If you don’t have a GP, you can find one near you using the healthdirect Service Finder.
You can speak confidentially to an adviser on the Butterfly Foundation National Helpline .
You can also call Eating Disorders Victoria for advice, support and information on 1300 550 236 .
If you are in crisis and need counselling now, you can call:
- Lifeline 13 11 14
Who Is At Risk For Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can develop at any age. They affect all genders, races and ethnicities. Its a myth that eating disorders mostly affect girls and women. Boys and men are equally at risk. Certain factors may make you more prone to developing an eating disorder, such as:
- Family history of eating disorders, addiction, or other mental health issues, such as depression.
- A history of trauma .
Other factors include:
- Involvement in activities that focus on a slender appearance, such as modeling, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling and running.
- Major life changes, such as starting a new school or job, a divorce or a move.
- Perfectionistic tendencies.
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Eating Disorders And Ptsd
Trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, is a nonspecific risk factor for eating disordersnonspecific because it can also precede a number of other psychiatric disorders. In the U.S., the lifetime prevalence of PTSD is estimated to be at 6.4 percent. Rates of PTSD among people with eating disorders are less clear because there are few studies. What studies do exist show the following rates for lifetime PTSD:
- Women with bulimia nervosa: 37-40 percent
- Women with BED: 21-26 percent
- Women with anorexia nervosa: 16 percent
- Men with bulimia nervosa: 66 percent
- Men with BED: 24 percent
Rates of PTSD are generally found to be higher in cases of eating disorders with symptoms of bingeing and purging, including the anorexia-binge/purge subtype.
There are different theories regarding the higher incidence of PTSD among people with eating disorders. One theory is that the trauma directly affects body image or sense of self and leads a person to attempt to modify their body shape to avoid future harm.
Another is that trauma exposure leads to emotional dysregulation , which in turn can increase the risk for various types of psychopathology, including PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and substance use disorders. In this model, binge eating and purging are believed to be an attempt by the affected person to manage or numb their intense PTSD symptoms. When they succeed in doing so, the eating disorder behaviors are reinforced.
Help For Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by a compulsion to overeat followed by a desperate attempt to get rid of the food thats been consumed. There are many ways that people who struggle with bulimia eliminate the food they have consumed, including purging, using diet pills or laxatives, fasting and excessive exercise. Although these methods will temporarily control weight, people suffering from bulimia will start a cycle of binging and purging that will ultimately impact their overall health. Bulimia can cause malnutrition, heat attack, liver and kidney problems, anemia, osteoporosis, insomnia and hair loss. To learn more about bulimia nervosa, click .
Center for Change offers the highest standard of treatment for bulimia, which includes medical, psychological and psychosocial interventions as well as nutritional counseling. This combination of treatment will allow for restoration of physical health along with achieving mental well-being.
If you or a loved one is suffering from bulimia, please call today to speak to our warm and caring admissions staff. Admitting you have a problem is the first and perhaps the hardest step to recovery, but it can be made less frightening when you finally reach out and ask Center for Change for help.
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Help For Eating Disorders & Diabetes
When someone with diabetes is struggling with anorexia or bulimia a co-occurring condition called diabulimia the stakes are even higher because the consequences, assessment, and treatment plan are exponentially more difficult to balance. But at Center for Change, we have been treating eating disorders and co-occurring illnesses since 1994, and our expert team has the professional experience necessary to address diabulimia, whether through acute inpatient care, residential care, day and evening programs or outpatient services.
Our multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach focuses on the individual needs of our clients, making treatment recommendations according to the severity of the conditions present. In other words, we treat both issues at once, stabilizing blood sugar levels, establishing a healthy, balanced relationship with food, and working with a Certified Diabetic Educator to achieve recovery success across the diabulimia spectrum.
Please call Center for Change now to learn about treatment options for eating disorders if you or a loved one is suffering. Recovery is just a phone call away.
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Prescription Medications For Binge Eating Disorder
Prescription medications that are used to treat other conditions such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , and epilepsy are sometimes used to treat binge eating disorder as well.
A 2015 study showed that second-generation antidepressants, topiramate , and lisdexamfetamine have a positive effect on binge eating disorder.
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What Are The Types Of Eating Disorders
There are different types of eating disorders. Some people may have more than one type of eating disorder. Types include:
- Anorexia nervosa: People with anorexia nervosa greatly restrict food and calories sometimes to the point of self-starvation. You can have anorexia at any body size. It is characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight and a refusal to eat healthy amounts of food for your body type and activity level.
- Bulimia nervosa: People diagnosed with bulimia nervosa binge or eat, or perceive they ate, large amounts of food over a short time. Afterward, they may force themselves to purge the calories in some way such as vomiting, using laxatives or exercising excessively to rid their body of the food and calories.
- Binge eating disorder :Binge eating disorder is characterized by a person experiencing a loss of control over their eating. They eat, or perceive that they have eaten, large amounts of food in a short period of time. However, after binging they dont purge food or burn off calories with exercise. Instead, they feel uncomfortably full and may struggle with shame, regret, guilt or depression.
Aftercare Following Treatment At An Eating Disorder Center
Eating Disorder Hope believes that aftercare is very important to the ongoing recovery work of an individual released from inpatient, residential or intensive outpatient treatment. It involves have a therapist and nutritionist to meet with regularly, in order to monitor behaviors and work through issues as the individual adapts back to their normal life outside of treatment.
In addition to the treatment team, it is often recommended that an individual develop an aftercare plan that also includes group support in the community. There are many organizations that provide free groups to help eating disorder sufferers stay on the road to recovery and/or recover from relapse. A few excellent organizations worth checking out are Eating Disorders Anonymous, ANAD and Overeaters Anonymous. With our Top Eating Disorder Treatment Centers database, you can find the care you need for yourself or a loved one.
Last Reviewed and Updated By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on October 19, 2017
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There Is Broad Agreement That Whenever Possible Patients Should Be Treated In The Least Restrictive Setting
In other words, more restrictive settings, like hospitals and residential treatment centers, are for those with the most severe symptoms or medical complications. Day Treatment Programs, Partial Hospital, Intensive Outpatient Programs, are more intensive and structured settings if the individual is not progressing in standard outpatient care. For those who are medically stable and able to participate in outpatient treatment, it is in their best interest to do so.
How Are Eating Disorders Managed Or Treated
Treatments for eating disorders vary depending on the type and your specific needs. Even if you dont have a diagnosed eating disorder, an expert can help you address and manage food-related issues. Treatments include:
- Psychotherapy: A mental health professional can determine the best psychotherapy for your situation. Many people with eating disorders improve with cognitive behavioral therapy . This form of therapy helps you understand and change distorted thinking patterns that drive behaviors and emotions.
- Maudsley approach: This form of family therapy helps parents of teenagers with anorexia. Parents actively guide a childs eating while they learn healthier habits.
- Medications: Some people with eating disorders have other conditions, like anxiety or depression. Taking antidepressants or other medications can improve these conditions. As a result, your thoughts about yourself and food improve.
- Nutrition counseling: A registered dietitian with training in eating disorders can help improve eating habits and develop nutritious meal plans. This specialist can also offer tips for grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation.
The best treatment approach is often a combination of all of these professionals working together to obtain a comprehensive treatment to address the physical, mental and behavioral aspects.
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Help For Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which the person limits their food intake, causing a low body weight. People who suffer from the disorder have distorted views of their weight and have anxiety about gaining weight. Contributing factors to anorexia include stress, unhappiness, feeling out of control and other outside influences such as the media. Some people turn to anorexic behaviors as a way to manage these problems, but this can develop into a serious condition that could result in death. To learn more about the signs and symptoms of anorexia, click .
At Center for Change, we have a three-step program for adolescents and adults to help guide them towards a full recovery. First, restoring physical health from the damages of weight loss and severe dieting and purging second, treating psychological disturbances such as low self-esteem, interpersonal conflicts, and distortion of body images, and finally, achieving long-term remission or full recovery. If you or a loved is suffering from anorexia, please contact Center for Change, an eating disorder center, to receive immediate and personal care from our warm and caring staff.
Help For Eating Disorders & Substance Abuse
Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia often coincide with illnesses like depression, anxiety, trauma and OCD. When eating disorders co-exist with substance use disorders like alcoholism and addiction, the consequences, assessment and treatment plan is more complex than it is for either disorder alone. These cases require specialized, dual-diagnosis care.
At Center for Change we have been treating eating disorders and their co-occurring illnesses since 1994. Our multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach emphasizes regular and healthy patterns of eating, encourages exercise and improves body-image, helping adolescents and adults find hope and healing. We offer a variety of levels of care in order to meet the individual needs of our patients according to the severity of the co-occurring disorders.
Our goal is to patients and clients establish a healthy new relationship with food, exercise and body image, dig down to the root causes of chemical dependency and begin on the road to recovery with new tools for dealing with both.
To learn more about compulsive eating disorders co-occurring with substance abuse or to schedule a free assessment, call .
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Diagnosis Of Overeating Disorder
The diagnosis of overeating disorder is not currently recognized in the DSM-V, however, researchers and clinicians are working to have the diagnosis included in future revisions. In order to be diagnosed with overeating disorder, an individual would need to exhibit certain behaviors and symptoms for a period of time. These include:
-Engaging in binge-eating episodes at least once a week for a period of three months
feeling out of control or unable to stop during these episodes
feeling distressed or embarrassed after overeating
continuing to eat even when full or not hungry
avoiding social situations due to fear of being seen eating
using food as a way to cope with stress or negative emotions.
The diagnosis also requires that these behaviors and symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in functioning. If you think you or someone you know may have an overeating disorder, it is important to seek professional help. Treatment can be very effective in helping individuals manage their symptoms and live healthy, fulfilling life.
What Is Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is a condition where people have recurrent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over their eating. This binge eating is followed by behaviors that compensate for the overeating to prevent weight gain, such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors. Unlike those with anorexia nervosa, people with bulimia nervosa may maintain a normal weight or be overweight.
Symptoms and health consequences of bulimia nervosa include:
- Chronically inflamed and sore throat
- Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area
- Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth from exposure to stomach acid when vomiting
- Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems
- Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse
- Severe dehydration from purging
- Electrolyte imbalance , which can lead to stroke or heart attack
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What Is The Prognosis For People Who Have Eating Disorders
People who get treatment for eating disorders often recover and go on to lead healthy lives. Its helpful to detect a problem early and start treatment right away.
There are different levels of care, including:
- Outpatient therapy .
- Intensive outpatient therapy .
- Inpatient therapy .
Your primary care doctor will work with you to decide what level of treatment would be right for you.
Left untreated, people with eating disorders can develop life-threatening complications. Some people may need to receive medical and mental health care at a hospital or treatment center.
Common Questions For Insurance Companies
If you are in touch with your insurance provider, there are certain questions that should not be overlooked. These questions will help you understand your insurance policy and mental health benefits.
What kind of eating disorders are covered by insurance?
Most insurances have an eating disorder benefit and will typically cover the Eating Disorder Diagnoses, characterized by Feeding and Eating Disorders in the DSM-5, such as anorexia nervosa, binge-eating, bulimia nervosa, not other specified eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive intake disorder, and unspecified eating disorder.
What level of care will insurance pay for?
Eating Disorder Solutions offers a full continuum of care for eating disorder patients. Finding out what level of care your insurance provider will pay for can be challenging. The coverage is variable depending on the insurance providers criteria for an admission, what benefits the plan will cover and what plan the member is enrolled in. Many insurance providers will require the patient to meet criteria in order to access comprehensive levels of care such as residential care, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.
How much is my deductible?
How long will insurance pay for me to stay in treatment?
Before entering treatment, its important to request a copy of your insurance policy. Without a copy of the policy, you wont understand your benefits. Knowledge is power when it comes to insurance for eating disorder treatment.
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