NABHS helps you locate treatment options for eating disorders that help overcome anorexia and bulimia and provide holistic recovery.
Eating disorders are a serious and widespread problem in the United States, affecting millions of people every year. While there’s an uncertain estimate to pin down the exact number, studies suggest that between 10 and 30 million Americans will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives due to so many factors. Such disorders are often neglected and go undiagnosed or unreported. This indicates that eating disorders are more common than most people realize they are. It can impact anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background.
Types of Eating Disorders
- Pica- It is a type of eating disorder in which eats things that are not usually considered food. Example- eating grass, chalk, paper. Though kids might sometime eat things out of curiosity, those with pica show persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances over a period of at least 1 month.
- Rumination Disorder- It is a type of eating and feeding disorder where undigested food is repeatedly regurgitated. Regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder- It is an eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food; concern about aversive consequences of eating) that is manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs. This leads to weight loss, nutritional deficiency, dependence on external feeding or oral nutritional supplements and problems with psychosocial functioning.
- Anorexia Nervosa: Individuals with anorexia have intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain, even though at a significantly low weight. They restrict energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health.
- Binge-Eating Disorder: Binge eating is characterized by:
- Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances
- A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
- Bulimia Nervosa: It is marked by recurrent episodes of binge eating. These episodes of binge eating is followed by recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.
- Atypical anorexia nervosa- where the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal.
- Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating
- Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating.
Risk Factors
Eating disorders are intricate illnesses that can arise from a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Particularly in people who are subjected to these influences from an early age, societal pressures to adhere to a particular body type or beauty standard can contribute to the emergence of eating disorders. This is more common in women than men. Certain environmental factors, such as food insecurity, poverty, or living in a society where there is an abundance of unhealthy food options, can also contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
Eating Disorders Symptoms
In DSM- V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), there is a separate category called ‘Feeding and Eating Disorders’ that include different kinds of eating disorders. Though the symptoms of each type of eating disorder is different, an individual with eating disorder mostly show the following symptoms:
- persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior
- altered consumption or absorption of food.
- Impaired physical health or psychosocial functioning due to food habits.
Treatment Options for Eating Disorder
- Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family-based therapy (FBT) is often the primary treatment and most useful approach for eating disorder patients. Psychotherapy helps individuals to identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors regarding their food, body image, and weight.
- Nutritional counseling: Nutritional counseling involves working with a registered dietitian to create a healthy meal plan and establish a positive relationship with food.
- Medication: Certain medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers, may be prescribed in some cases together with psychotherapy to manage co-occurring mental health conditions and symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
- Support groups: Support groups, such as Overeaters Anonymous or ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders), can offer people a friendly and supportive community of peers who are going through similar situations.
- Inpatient or residential treatment: In severe cases, hospitalization or residential treatment may be necessary to stabilize an individual’s physical health and provide intensive therapy. This type of care can take a month or more depending on the person’s intensity of the disorder.
- Outpatient treatment: After inpatient care, one can get themselves treated from the comfort of their home for regular follow-up of their eating disorder recovery. This mainly involves a combination of psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and medication.
Receiving the right level of care and treatment for eating disorders is the most important aspect of recovery. By calling us at NABHS, you’ll benefit from the best eating disorder treatment center recommendations and free diagnosis for you or a loved one in a safe space that’ll help you confront thoughts that will no longer plague your days.
Count On Us To Help You Out
Together, we can work towards a world where eating disorders are no longer a source of embarrassment or silence, but a treatable and manageable condition. Reach us at +1 (917) 267 8635 for eating disorder treatment support and guidance to rediscover joy in being alive.
