Eddie Lamb asked:


Although trite and irreverent, the above “attention grabber” is technically correct. For anyone suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder, an accredited eating disorder program is essential and life-saving. Without recovery, these people will probably die from the medical complications of their condition. The primary obstacle to recovery via an eating disorder program is the secrecy that always prevails in these disorders.

Sufferers are extremely reluctant to change their pathological eating behavior. Denial of the problem is pervasive and they very rarely seek professional help through an eating disorder program. Most sufferers enter treatment either at the insistence of friends and family, or by physicians when they experience a heart attack, kidney failure, or another medical complication of eating disorders.

How can an Eating Disorder Program Help Me?

The first and most essential step is to stop denying that you have a problem and admitting to yourself and trusted others that you need professional help. An eating disorder is not something you can “fix” by yourself. You need a very structured, on-going eating disorder program, most likely an in-patient program. You need to be hospitalized for maximum benefit from the eating disorder program; being treated as an out-patient gives you ample opportunity to not follow the instructions of the program and thereby failing to recover.

Hospitalization is definitely indicated if your weight is so low from anorexia, it’s life-threatening, or if you are binging and purging (vomiting) several times a day due to bulimia.

Eating disorder programs are very comprehensive. Since the great majority of people who suffer from eating disorders also suffer from depression and/or anxiety, you will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if antidepressant and/or an antianxiety medication would benefit you. All eating disorder programs provide intensive nutritional counseling.

You will, simply, learn how to eat in a normal and healthy manner. You will receive extensive medical treatment for the medical complications, often severe, caused by anorexic and/or bulimic behaviors. If you’re bulimic, you’ll have your teeth evaluated by a dentist. Constant vomiting causes the enamel on your teeth to erode from stomach acids, leading to massive tooth decay and loss.

No eating disorder program is complete without intensive psychotherapy by a team of therapists who habitually treat eating disorders. Individual therapy helps you express the distressing feelings of fear, loneliness, anger, sadness and others that you’ve been self-medicating with food or self-starvation. Your program will include daily group therapy sessions.

You need to know that you’re not alone in your troubles, and receive help and support from others who have “been there.” In group, you can speak rather than remain silent about your disorder. Family therapy is also important in eating disorder programs especially for teenagers.

Parents want to understand your disorder and help you overcome it. With adults, your spouse or relationship partner can also be a tremendous source of support. Most important, in a recovery program that involves friends and/or family, they will learn to immediately recognize the signs that you’ve relapsed back into anorexia and/or bulimia and assist you in seeking aftercare support to get back into recovery.

After you’re discharged from the hospital, eating disorder programs strongly recommend your participation in support groups. These support groups for anorexia, bulimia and binge overeating are run by those who are in long-term recovery, not by professionals. Your continuation of aftercare services is vitally important to prevent relapses. Your in-patient program can help you find a support group that is effective for you.



Gregory

Chris Marshall asked:


The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the biggest non-profit organization in the United States and works to prevent eating disorders as also to provide referrals to patients suffering from anorexia, bulimia as well as binge eating disorders and, also people who are taken up with body image and issues pertaining to weight.

The goal of the National Eating Disorders Association is to eliminate eating disorders and to achieve this, the National Eating Disorders Association has dedicated itself to expanding the public understanding of eating disorders as well as taking preventive measures and promoting access to quality treatment for those who have been afflicted with eating disorders as well as providing support to families through education, advocacy as well as research.

The National Eating Disorders Association tries to serve the needs of the national community through programs that it provides, as well as products and services that are of superior quality in supporting the elimination of eating disorders. To make the mission become more fruitful and productive it has developed prevention programs for a great many different audiences, and has published and distributed educational materials in addition to operating the country’s first toll-free helpline for eating disorders information as well as referral.

The National Eating Disorders Association consists of numerous professionals who form the Board of Directors as well as the Founders and staff, who together channels their collective efforts to eliminate eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Sssociation is able to provide all the information and help necessary for those having eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorders as well as other eating related disorders.

Usually, it is very difficult for people with eating disorders to get prompt help and be able to get on with their lives normally; so it becomes important for them to be able to reach dedicated professionals who would provide relief and for this the National Eating Disorders Association is a good source for obtaining help as well as related information.

The National Eating Disorders Association will help the person with diagnosing the symptoms of eating disorders and will find out what has caused the person to overeat excessively, and in addition, will be able to pinpoint what is going on with the patient. Once the diagnosis has been made, the treatment of the eating disorder may begin and this may also involve psychotherapy.

In order to prevent and/or screen the patient’s eating disorders the National Eating Disorders Association may prescribe ten things that the parents of the patient may have to do to prevent eating disorders.



Ronnie

jordan.love52 asked:


If you tell your therapist you have problems with eating and a eating disorder can your therapist tell your parents if your under 18?

Bryan

Peter sams asked:


Eating disorders are one of the unspoken secrets that permeate many families. Millions of Americans are afflicted with this disorder every year, and most of them — up to 90 percent — are adolescent and young women. Rarely talked about, an eating disorder can affect up to 5 percent of the population of teenage girls.

Why are adolescent and young women so susceptible to getting an eating disorder? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is because during this period of time, women are more likely to diet to try and keep a slim figure and/or try stringent dieting. Certain sports (such as gymnastics) and careers (such as modeling) are especially prone to reinforcing the need to keep a fit figure, even if it means purging food or not eating at all.

These eating disorders carry serious health risks and can sometimes result in death. Medical and Dental complications can occur as a result of starvation, vomiting and abuse of exercise. A small but significant number of eating disorder patients die from their disorder, convinced that it is better to starve to death than to be fat. It is vital that eating disordered people receive treatment for their disorders. Appropriate treatment includes medical attention and psychotherapy, both from professionals specializing in eating disorders treatment.

Preventing Eating Disorders

Cognitive-behavioral strategies may help prevent the development of eating disorders in adolescent women, particularly those who are overweight. A 2006 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported success with an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral program that targeted at-risk college-age women. The women were taught how to become more comfortable with their body weight and image. The program also provided education on healthy eating and weight management.

Eating Disorder Types

In Anorexia Nervosa, the sufferer shows a desperate fear of weight gain and a desire to be abnormally thin, and severely restricts her diet in an attempt to achieve this. Some sufferers also use excessive exercise and sometimes self-induced vomiting as a means of weight control. This behaviour leads to a wide variety of harmful physical and psychological consequences and can be life-threatening; in fact anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychological illness.

Bulimia is characterized by eating excessive amounts of food in short periods of time,

Usually in secret, and is followed by some form of purging behavior. Most individuals suffering with bulimia realize that their behavior is abnormal and try to keep it a secret. Individuals are either slightly over, or at average body weight.

While bulimia is not as physically harmful as anorexia, the psychological effects can be devastating, leading to depression and even more serious outcomes including ******* in the worst of cases. The physical signs of bulimia which can be observed tend to be related to the purging methods used, and include regularly bloodshot eyes, swollen glands, and dental erosion. In the long term, the dangers include digestive system problems such as ulcers, weakness and exhaustion, and even heart problems.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating disorder not otherwise specified and is

characterized by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory measures to counter the binge eating.

Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by:

1. Frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in short periods of time.

2. Feeling out of control over eating behavior.



Regina

Aubrey M asked:


I am trying to recover from an eating disorder, but I really don’t want to gain any weight. Will it work if I start with 600 calories a day for two weeks, then 800 for two weeks, then 1000, then 1200, then 1500? Is that too unhealthy? Are there any other methods for maintaining during recovery?

Mark

Apple B asked:


Logically, I know this is not true, but I believe it. Now I want an eating disorder really badly.

Theresa

Cynthia Marshall asked:


Recovering PeRfeCtly

For many people suffering from eating disorders ‘perfectionism’ is a central underlying issue. Healing from the demands of needing to be ‘perfect’ (perfect eater, perfect body, perfect diet) takes time sometimes can feel elusive. The critical voice of the ED can be heard long after other symptoms of the disorder have reduced. For many, the critical voice inside that demands perfection becomes even louder the more they move away from their disordered eating patterns.

Angie Harmon a psychotherapist at Woodleaf eating disorder treatment in San Francisco, CA believes these feelings may be a good sign: “as painful as the internal demand for perfection can be, it also signals us that we are reaching the very root of what prompted the disorder in the first place.”

For most people these feelings of perfectionism are paired with self hatred, low self esteem and self criticism. When asked to remember when these feeling began many say early childhood, long before the eating disorder developed: “Understanding the origin of these feelings and the context in which they developed is a very important part of the healing process. Exploring this ‘critical voice’ is vital to the healing process.” Harmon states.

The all or nothing mentality that so afflicts ones eating can also create unrealistic expectations about recovery. Before recovery, the eating disordered person believed they must “look perfect” “diet perfectly” and now once in recovery they may similiarily expect themselves to “recover perfectly.” Giving themselves permission to struggle, ask for help or have a moment of relapse can be very hard for them to bear.

What many people with ED do not realize is that recovery from eating disorders is fundamentally “imperfect” and is a process, not a destination. Recovery can be feel easy some days, difficult others and just like life can be diverse and bring the unexpected. There are bad days, good days, boring days and a variety of differing experiences. Just like life feelings and experiences change from day to day. For many people with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia learning to be ‘imperfect” is the very core of healing. Beginning to accept with compassion the peaks and valleys recovery can bring is where we find freedom. Beginning to allow ourselves to be human and to stop judging our every move as our worst enemy takes time and practice. Recovery does not happen overnight, and that really is okay. There is no perfect “recovery” and letting go of this illusion can be the most liberating thing of all.

Harmon gives us an example: “A female client in her early twenties comes to me to treat her symptoms of Bulimia. She explores her feelings, begins to identify certain triggers to her ED behaviors and greatly reduces her binging and purging behavior. A week comes where she finds out her stepfather is terminally ill, she is laid off her job and within days she finds herself on a two day binge. She comes to therapy beating herself up and announcing she has ” failed” and had been doing so well until she “messed everything up again.” I point out to her how very stressful the last few days have been and how harshly she is treating herself. She agrees full-heartedly and then goes on to say “Oh my GOD your right, I am beating myself up, what the hell is wrong with me!!” Now the client has found a way to beat herself up about beating herself up!”

This kind of self imposed perfectionism and self criticism is all too common. I cannot tell you how many clients I have worked with IN TREATMENT who beat themselves up over not doing recovery “perfectly”. It is important for people in recovery from eating disorders to learn that there is no perfect recovery. Recovery is an individual as people are and the process is different for everyone.

“I have to say that as a therapist who has been treating eating disorders of all kinds for years I still wish I could just magically take the self hatred and perfectionism away from my clients” Harmon tells us, “I know I can’t but to watch them from outside beat themselves up for normal recovery experiences can be difficult.”

Recovery mean there will be hard days, painful days, challenging days as well as liberating, joyous and happy days. Life contains both and so will our recovery. The important thing is that we begin to learn to support ourselves in our recovery no matter where we are at. Hitting a bump in the road does not mean we should beat ourselves up, but that we need support more than ever because we are having a hard time. Opening ourselves up to the idea of self compassion is not easy, but can be done, and once we learn to accept our human-ness, our lives become brighter than ever before.



Francis

mead1973 asked:


I’m trying to figure out if what I have is an eating disorder or if it just poor will-power and mindless eating. I notice that I tend to eat at night. I don’t eat much during the day but at night I tend to crave a lot of food and I eat. I am a light sleeper and sometimes I will have a sugar craving and I will go in the kitchen and fix a snack and then go back to bed. I’ve been doing this for years. I am now pondering if this could be an eating disorder and if it is what type of eating disorder?

Alex

Mike Herman asked:


As we were all teenagers at one time, that is if you are twenty years of age or older today, you know that the teenage years are full problems, peer pressure, stress and the desire to fit in. It is not surprising then, with all of the peer pressure and images from the media, as well as the strong desire to fit in, that eating disorders are most common among teenagers.

1. Eating disorders are known to be the result of a poor self image and/or an unhealthy relationship to food. Most people think of eating disorders as something that affects girls and young women who are dieting. The truth is that these disorders have to do with our relationship to food and issues related to body image and self-esteem, and not just our desire to to loss some weight.

While most people only think anorexia and bulimia when it comes to eating disorders, there are less well-known eating disorders as well, nocturnal eating, pica and binge eating are also characterized by an unhealthy relationship to food and eating. In fact, all eating disorders have one common denominator: an ongoing and unhealthy relationship with food that becomes a disruption in a person’s life.

2. Eating disorders generally affect young women, although they can affect just about anyone, middle aged women and even men. It is estimated that more than 8 million people in the United States are affected with some kind of eating disorder. While those with disorders come from all social and ethnic backgrounds, studies have suggested that young affluent white women are more susceptible to developing an eating disorder.

Most disorders first become evident during adolescence and can develop in young children and pre-teens. When it come to men and doctors report eating disorders among men is increasing, it seems to be most common with athletes who want to and/or feel pressure to compete as they are vulnerable to developing a disorder.

3. These disorders can emerge during periods of stress and change. Doctors don’t yet fully understand why eating disorders are present in some individuals, and not others. But they do have an understanding about the circumstances that may make some people more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder.

Studies have shown that individuals who are experiencing stress, depression, or who have recently experienced some kind of major life change are much more vulnerable to developing the symptoms of an eating disorder.

4. Eating disorders can cause a variety of serious health problems. Many teenagers who become preoccupied with food, body image, and exercise do not understand the health risks posed by their actions.

These health problems include heart problems, stomach problems, irregular menstrual periods, kidney problems, dental problems, hormonal disturbance, dehydration and dry skin, to name just a few. Intervention and hospitalization may become necessary in more severe cases.

5. All of these can be treated successfully. Now more than ever there is a better understanding of eating disorders, and many treatment options and resources are available for teenagers and their families whose lives have been touched by an eating disorder.

Treatment consists of various therapies, including nutritional therapy, psychotherapy, and family and individual counseling. Sometimes prescription drugs are used to treat underlying problems. For instance, antidepressants may be prescribed.



Tammy

Jerry Cahill asked:


Adolescence can be a very stressful time when people begin gaining independence and discovering who they are. The teen years are when people establish new friendships and also when they find that their body has begun to develop. When a person enters puberty, it can be a very stressful, confusing and frightening period.

A lucky few can make the transition from childhood to adulthood with no major problems. However, many who may develop a teen eating disorder as a way to cope with these changing times.

A teen eating disorder may cause someone to worry that the weight that he or she is gaining will become permanent. This can cause panic and desperate efforts to prevent or shed any weight gain. Teens may be ignorant of the fact that these physical changes will ease with time and that their weight will stabilize without the need for dieting. The teen eating disorder may also be attributed to going through puberty which is a testing time, especially if the teenager also has to undergo sexual advances.

In addition, teens may be under great pressure to perform and excel. Pressure to conform to society’s ‘ideal’ body image may lead to eating disorders. Teens see touched up pictures of models and assume they must look the same way. In an effort to become thin, teens may develop anorexia, bulemia, or other eating disorders. Many teens think that being thin leads to happiness, which can be a strong factor in eating disorders.

Another important factor that may contribute to a teen eating disorder is the home environment. Teens who are subject to emotional, physical, or sexual abuse may develop eating disorders to have control over some aspect of their lives. Teen eating disorders may also help block out painful feelings.

Schools and families can play an active role in preventing teen eating disorders. By teaching teens and families about the warning signs and problems with eating disorders, we may be able to prevent or quickly treat cases of anorexia, bulemia, and other eating disorders. Educators can also be trained to build self-esteem and show teens that they don’t have to develop an eating disorder to be successful or beautiful. Through education, prevention, and good treatment, we can get a handle on teen eating disorders.



Antonio