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Eating Disorder Treatment
Eating disorders can be treated and treated with a healthy outcome. The earlier eating disorders are diagnosed and treated, the better the outcomes are likely to be. Because of their complexity, eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, binge eating) require a comprehensive treatment plan involving medical monitoring, psychosocial intervention, nutritional counseling and, when appropriate, medication management. At the time of diagnosis, the eating disorder professional must determine whether the person is in immediate danger and requires inpatient eating disorder hospitalization.
Treatment of anorexia calls for a specific eating disorder treatment program that involves three main phases of treatment: (1) restoring weight lost to severe dieting and purging; (2) treating psychological issues such as distortion of body image, low self-esteem, and interpersonal conflicts; and (3) achieving long-term recovery. Early diagnosis and treatment increases the eating disorder treatment success rate. Use of psychotropic medication in people with anorexia should be considered only after weight gain has been established. Certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been shown to be helpful for weight maintenance and for resolving mood and anxiety symptoms associated with anorexia.
The acute management of severe weight loss is usually provided in an inpatient eating disorder treatment setting, where feeding plans address the person's medical and nutritional needs. In some cases, intravenous feeding is recommended. Once malnutrition has been corrected and weight gain has begun, psychotherapy (often cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal psychotherapy) can help people with anorexia overcome low self-esteem and address distorted thought and behavior patterns. Families should be included in the eating disorder treatment process.
The primary goal of treatment for bulimia is to reduce or eliminate binge eating and purging. To this end, nutritional rehabilitation and medication management strategies are often employed. Establishment of a pattern of healthy eating, improvement of attitudes related to the eating disorder, encouragement of moderate exercise, and resolution of co-occurring conditions such as mood or anxiety disorders are among the specific aims of these strategies. Individual psychotherapy (especially cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal psychotherapy), group psychotherapy that uses a cognitive-behavioral approach, and family or marital therapy have been reported to be effective eating disorder treatment services. Psychotropic medications, primarily antidepressants such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been found helpful for people with bulimia, particularly those with significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, or those who have not responded adequately to psychosocial treatment alone. These medications also may help prevent relapse. The treatment goals and strategies for binge-eating disorder or compulsive overeating are similar to those for bulimia.
Treatment for bulimia, compulsive eating and binge eating generally take place in a residential setting for the treatment of eating disorders. Residential eating disorder treatment is more effective than an outpatient eating disorder treatment program as it provides a higher degree of structure and accountability for the patient. Effective eating disorder treatment programs are generally not less than 30 days in length and in many cases, eating disorder treatment may last up to 90 days.
People with eating disorders often do not recognize or admit that they are ill. As a result, they may h3ly resist getting and staying in eating disorder treatment. Family members or other trusted individuals can be helpful in ensuring that the person with an eating disorder receives needed care and remains in treatment. Every eating disorder treatment program should have a comprehensive family component that involves all significant members of the family system.
