An eating disorder is a behavior that results in abnormal eating habits. It has psychological components as well as a physical component. An eating disorder includes several unusual behavioral disorders, which include anorexia nervosa, binge eating and bulimia nervosa and it can affect males and females, although an eating disorder manifests mostly in women and girls, especially adolescent girls.
About eating disorders
Many believe women and adolescent girls are mostly affected by a disorder with eating because there is a stronger social pressure for women and an adolescent to look a certain way. The body image of women is greatly distorted based on what is shown to be the ideal in magazines and on social media, versus reality, creating a strong disorder. An eating disorder can evolve from a simple desire to look a certain weight, such as purging as part of dieting, or over-exercising to lose weight. Also, those suffering from obesity and food abuse, have a food addiction or food disorder may find help at eating disorder treatment centers.
Treating an eating-related disorder entails a complex yet individualized approach. The symptoms need to be identified so that the right treatment can be given at the eating disorder treatment centers. The triggers and underlying anxiety disorders are identified, which could have compelled the patient to binge, overeat, purge or not eat at all.
Those suffering from eating disorders can get help from eating disorder treatment centers. At an eating disorder treatment center, medically trained professionals and other support staff are armed with the skills to identify the symptoms of the eating disorder in order to provide the behavioral, psychological, emotional, nutritional and medical treatment and therapy needed in the treatment of eating disorders. Those suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, obesity, and other eating disorders can find help at eating disorder treatment centers.
How eating disorder treatment centers can help
Eating disorder treatment centers provide an eating disorders program that is designed to help the patient. Eating disorder treatment centers have highly trained professionals that have the skills and tools to identify the eating disorder in order to provide the necessary psychological, medical, nutritional, emotional or even psychiatric help needed by the patient. In many instances, there may also co-occurring disorders, meaning that there may be more than one eating disorder, or there may a psychological problem as well.
One of the first things that are done to a patient is to slowly restore the patient to good physical health. A patient may already be suffering from starvation, malnutrition or obesity by the time the patient enters a residential treatment center. A full physical and mental evaluation is done in a hospital or residential center order to assess the severity of the eating disorder and to identify which specific eating disorder the patient is suffering from.
At eating disorder treatment centers, a patient unlearns the unhealthy behavioral patterns and associations established when it comes to food and eating so that a healthy relationship with food can be restored. New skills are taught by a therapist to women to deal with anxiety disorders so that compulsive overeating leading to obesity is prevented.
There is a residential treatment program available to treat eating disorders, which provides the individual the individualized support, therapy and skills needed for recovery. A residential facility is a safe a closely monitored place for women to get help so they can focus on treatment and recovery. Another option is an intensive outpatient program for eating disorders treatment. Going to an outpatient facility can be done to continue the therapy needed to deal with the eating disorder once a residential eating disorder treatment program has been completed. The patient is ready to become an outpatient when she has completed the program at an eating disorder treatment center and has been given ample therapy and individualized treatment for the disorder. Continued outpatient support is provided to help the client stay on track with the recovery program.
A comprehensive and individualized approach is done in the treatment of the eating disorder. Treatment includes behavioral modification, psychological counseling to deal with emotional issues and in some cases, psychiatric treatment is provided. Counseling, therapy, psychotherapy with a trained therapist, behavioral therapy, family therapy, medical monitoring, and nutritional counseling are just some of the comprehensive yet therapeutic approaches in the treatment of an eating disorder.
Some eating disorder treatment centers are exclusive to the adolescent client, while others are for women only. The program is designed to help individual issues of the patient that led to the development of the eating disorder so she can get the proper therapy needed to recover while at rehab.
Getting help at eating disorder treatment centers
The first step in getting help at an eating disorder treatment program is to get help. To do this, the patient needs to admit that there is a problem. This is often the most difficult thing to do because there is a discrepancy between the ideal body image and the actual body of the patient. For example, a patient suffering from anorexia may see herself as fat or obese rather than dangerously thin. Denial is also present in those who suffer from bulimia nervosa, thinking that they are not harming themselves when they engage in binge eating only to find ways to regurgitate or purge it out of their system. Families don’t often realize that they are living with someone who has a binge eating problem or has anorexia nervosa because it is a secretive disease. It is only when the patient becomes dangerously thin or becomes so sick that it requires hospitalization that others realize the problem.
To find eating disorder treatment centers for anorexia, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or other eating disorders, you can talk to your school counselor or your primary care physician to get an eating disorder referral. There are treatments for binge eating available, as well as treatment of anorexia and any other eating disorder at eating disorder treatment centers.
It’s important to get the necessary help at eating disorder treatment centers in order to find an eating disorder program that works. It is possible to get the treatment needed and recover from eating disorders. Treating eating disorders can take some time and the road to eating disorder recovery can be difficult and painful at an eating disorder center. If left untreated, an eating disorder can lead to many long term health problems and even death. After going to eating disorder treatment centers, whether in an intensive outpatient program or a residential program, a patient suffering from bulimia, anorexia or any other eating disorder can be restored to good health and have the skills necessary to be on the way to complete recovery.