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Eating disorders are very much like substance abuse. Some individuals even suffer from both diseases at the same time. The substance of choice, whether it is food or drugs, is used by the person to try to control things in their life, or to block their emotional pain or emptiness. Eating disorders can affect nearly every demographic of people. It is commonly seen in young teenage girls, but it is also finding its way into the lives of older women and men as well.
Eating disorders are very serious and can cause both physical and psychological damage. Treatment is necessary in many cases when the condition has become out of control. Individuals suffering from an eating disorder may either be diagnosed with anorexia, starving oneself, bulimia, cycling between binge eating and purging, or with binge eating disorder, compulsively overeating. Individuals with eating disorders often have high expectations for how they should look, and a poor view of how they do look. Usually these disorders are ways for the individual to deal with their distorted view of themselves, along with their negative feelings.
Getting Help
The first step to helping a loved one with an eating disorder is to talk to the person. They can’t be forced into treatment, but if they know they have family or friends behind them that care about them, it will be easier for them to seek treatment. Eating disorders will usually get worse without treatment, and early intervention will make the road to recovery easier, so it is important to get help as soon as a disorder is detected.
Treatment Methods
The main goals for the treatment of an eating disorder are to get the person to become physically healthy, to be nutritionally fit, and to resolve any underlying psychological issues. In order to do this, most treatment facilities will offer a program that combines a variety of techniques. Sometimes it is necessary for the patient to be admitted into a hospital or residential setting to begin their recovery. This will happen when the condition is so severe that the person is dangerously malnourished, suicidal, or continuing to get worse quickly.
Many people that get help for an eating disorder will go through outpatient care. Therapy or counseling is important first of all to deal with the emotional issues of an eating disorder. Nutritional counseling is also necessary to help the person learn healthy eating techniques. Support groups are an additional way for individuals to break from this addiction and talk with others going through the same thing.
Other treatment programs have begun to incorporate things like volunteerism and community service projects when dealing with patients with eating disorders. These ways of giving back to others helps the person get involved with something constructive. Other positive forms of treatment are yoga, creativity groups, spirituality groups, and hobby development. All these things tend to help the patient take their mind off their eating disorder and feel they are contributing to life. Whatever the treatment technique, it is important for the individual to stay in follow-up treatment or aftercare because it generally takes a great deal of time to resolve these disorders.
Sources
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/when-mom-has-an-eating-disorders/?hp
http://helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_treatment.htm
