Does eating disorder treatment really works?

Does eating disorder treatment really works? Yes. Most cases of eating disorder can be treated successfully by appropriately trained health and mental health care professionals. But treatments do not work instantly. For many patients, treatment may need to be long-term.

It's like brushing your teeth. When you do it once, they are clean for one day. But that does not mean you don't have to brush again, because they won't stay clean for ever. We look at recovery the same way; it is personal development. Eating Disorder recovery is a journey, and it can take a couple of months up until 2 years, or even 7 years. This all depends on how committed you are and where you seek help. 

Incorporating family or marital therapy into patient care may help prevent relapses by resolving interpersonal issues related to the eating disorder. Therapists can guide family members in understanding the patient's disorder and learning new techniques for coping with problems. Support groups can also help.

Remember: The sooner treatment starts, the better. The longer abnormal eating patterns continue, the more deeply ingrained they become and the more difficult they are to treat.

Eating disorders can severely impair people's functioning and health. But the prospects for long-term recovery are good for most people who seek help from appropriate professionals. Qualified therapists, such as licensed psychologists with experience in this area, can help those who suffer from eating disorders regain control of their eating behaviors and their lives.

If you want help, please don't hesitate. You don't have to be ashamed. You can get help too. Contact us to schedule your intake.

What causes eating disorders?

Certain psychological factors and personality traits may predispose people to developing eating disorders. Many people with eating disorders suffer from low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and intense dissatisfaction with the way they look.

Specific traits are linked to each of the disorders. People with anorexia tend to be perfectionistic, for instance, while people with bulimia are often impulsive. Physical factors such as genetics also may play a role in putting people at risk.

A wide range of situations can precipitate eating disorders in susceptible individuals. Family members or friends may repeatedly tease people about their bodies. Individuals may be participating in gymnastics or other sports that emphasize low weight or a certain body image. Negative emotions or traumas such as rape, abuse, or the death of a loved one can also trigger disorders. Even a happy event, such as giving birth, can lead to disorders because of the stressful impact of the event on an individual's new role and body image.

Once people start engaging in abnormal eating behaviors, the problem can perpetuate itself. Bingeing can set a vicious cycle in motion, for instance, as individuals purge to rid themselves of excess calories and psychic pain, then binge again to escape problems in their day-to-day lives.

Why is it important to seek treatment for these disorders?

Research indicates that eating disorders very often go untreated. In one study (PDF, 382KB), for example, less than 13 percent of adolescents with eating disorders received treatment.(2)

But leaving eating disorders untreated can have serious consequences. Research has found that individuals with anorexia have a mortality rate 18 times higher than peers who don't have eating disorders, for example. (3)

Eating disorders can devastate the body. Physical problems associated with anorexia, for instance, include anemia, constipation, osteoporosis, even damage to the heart and brain. Bulimia can result in a sore throat, worn-away tooth enamel, acid reflux, and heart attacks.. People with binge eating disorder may develop high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other problems associated with obesity.

Eating disorders are also associated with other mental disorders like depression. Researchers don't yet know whether eating disorders are symptoms of such problems or whether the problems develop because of the isolation, stigma, and physiological changes wrought by the eating disorders themselves. What is clear from the research (PDF, 399KB) is that people with eating disorders suffer higher rates of other mental disorders - including depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse - than other people.

How can a psychologist help someone recover?

Psychologists play a vital role in the successful treatment of eating disorders and are integral members of the multidisciplinary team that may be required to provide patient care. As part of this treatment, a physician may be called on to rule out medical illnesses and determine that the patient is not in immediate physical danger. A nutritionist may be asked to help assess and improve nutritional intake.

Once the psychologist has identified important issues that need attention and developed a treatment plan, he or she helps the patient replace destructive thoughts and behaviors with more positive ones. A psychologist and patient might work together to focus on health rather than weight, for example. Or a patient might keep a food diary as a way of becoming more aware of the types of situations that trigger bingeing.

Simply changing patients' thoughts and behaviors is not enough, however. To ensure lasting improvement, patients and psychologists must work together to explore the psychological issues underlying the eating disorder. Psychotherapy may need to focus on improving patients' personal relationships. And it may involve helping patients get beyond an event or situation that triggered the disorder in the first place. Group therapy also may be helpful.

Some patients, especially those with bulimia, may benefit from medication. It's important to remember, however, that medication should be used in combination with psycho-therapy, not as a replacement for it. Patients who are advised to take medication should be aware of possible side effects and the need for close supervision by a physician.

If you want help, please don't hesitate. You don't have to be ashamed. You can get help too. Contact us to schedule your intake.

Article Sources:
1 National Institute of Mental Health. (2007). "Eating disorders."
2 Merikangas, K.R., He, J., Burstein, M., Sendsen, J., Avenevoli, S., Case, B., Georgiades, K., et al. (2011). "Service utilization for lifetime mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50 (1): 32-45.
3 Steinhausen, H.C. (2009). "Outcomes of eating disorders." Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 18 (1): 225-242.
4 Hudson, J.I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H.G., & Kessler, R.C. (2007). "The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication." Biological Psychiatry, 61 (3): 348-358.

What are the warning signs of eating disorders in males?

Being aware about eating disorders and acting on the warning signs and symptoms can have a marked influence on the severity and duration of the illness. Seeking help at the first warning signs is very important in this respect. However, the very nature of an eating disorder means that the sufferer will try and ensure any warning signs are concealed.

There are physical, psychological and behavioral warning signs that can signal the onset or the presence of an eating disorder in a male or a female but there are some warning signs that are more likely to occur in males:

• Preoccupation with (over)exercising

• Continuing doing sport/exercising when injured

• Testosterone lowers (lose interest in sex)

• Feeling stressed over missing workouts

• Possible conflict over gender identity or sexual orientation

• Using anabolic steroids

Further, our socio-cultural influences mean that over-exercising and the extreme pursuit of muscle growth are frequently seen as healthy behaviors for males and can even be actively encouraged. The truth is that these activities can indicate a significant disorder and lead to severe physical health problems.

If you are a man and you want help, please don't hesitate. You don't have to be ashamed. You can get help too. Contact us to schedule your intake.

Eating Disorders with males

While eating disorders are often portrayed as illnesses that only affect females, large population studies suggest that up to a quarter of people suffering with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are male, and almost an equal number of males and females suffer with binge eating disorder. We also know that under-diagnosis and cultural stigma mean that the actual proportion of males with eating disorders could be much higher.

Eating disorders can develop at any age. But males (and also females) are most vulnerable, or at risk, for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in their teenage years and early twenties. And binge eating disorder is more prevalent in a person in their mid-twenties.

Unhappy with your body?

Men can be very unhappy with their bodies too. The actual rates of body dissatisfaction in males are approaching the same number of that of females. However, for males body dissatisfaction is more commonly manifested in a lean and muscular body, rather than a lower body weight.

Especially male athletes have a vulnerability to eating disorders, particularly those in sports with a greater emphasis on weight classes and aesthetic ideals such as weight lifters, wrestlers, gymnasts, dancers, jockeys and body builders. But also Ski Jumpers are vulnerable for developing an eatnig disorder, because when they eigh less the jump farther. You can state that the eating disorder is "supporting" their prestige and achievement.

For some males, heightened concerns about muscularity may become part of an eating disorder, characterised by distorted perceptions about muscle bulk, and /or distorted eating and exercise patterns.

There are many factors that contribute to develop an eating disorder, and they can be complex. In general, there are is a genetic vulnerability. People must be sensitive to develop it. And there are the psychological factors and socio-cultural influences. 

What are the risks for males to get an eating disorder?

The risk factors for eating disorders are perfectionism, bullying, dieting, trauma, childhood obesity. The risk factors apply both to females and males.

Males are also are exposed to unique cultural messages that can increase their vulnerability towards developing an eating disorder. These include:

• The ideal body shape for men is protrayed in media platforms as a lean and muscular

• Males feel he need to be in control. We have grown up with the idea that males ‘take charge’ and have to be ‘in control’. When coping with particular issues beyond their control, people can displace these emotions (anxiety) onto their bodies, manifesting in control over the body through excessive exercise and dieting. Some deal with is constructively and others choose food or alcohol and/or drugs.

• Eating disorders and other mental illnesses. Especially men feel a desire not to appear weak or vulnerable. This has led to a stigma around mental illness that has delayed treatment and support for many males (and females) with eating disorders.

If you are a man and you want help, please don't hesitate. You don't have to be ashamed. You can get help too. Contact us to schedule your intake.