Can Eating Disorders Be Treated

There are various treatments available for eating disorders and these lay emphases on healing the body and the mind. Hence you can gain from the health benefits of these treatments and also get back to a healthy weight. It has been seen that any form of eating disorder is marked by extremes and obsession to lose weight or staying thin. So any kind of eating disorder is present when a person goes through severe disturbances in eating behavior. Some of the common types of eating disorder include symptoms like extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating.

Along with this the patient experiences feelings that are associated with extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape, which is more of an obsession. Usually these eating disorders begin with eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual. But eventually they come to a point when the person has these urges to eat less or out of control eating is seen. Here the biological, behavioral and social causes of these illnesses remain elusive. Some of the most common forms of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

However recent studies and researches have proved that there is a new kind of eating disorder, which has been diagnosed, and is known as eating disorders not otherwise specified or EDNOS. In EDNOS several variations of eating disorders are included and hence this type of eating disorder also has different treatments. Characteristics of EDNOS are very similar to anorexia or bulimia but have different traits and one type of EDNOS is binge eating.

These eating disorders frequently appear in young adulthood and women and girls are more prone to these disorders. Treatments for these eating disorders are based on complex underlying psychological and biological causes. Depression, substance abuse and even anxiety disorders and other related psychiatric disorders lead to this form of eating disorders. All from eating disorders lead to health problems and hence medication and therapeutic treatments are required for the same.

In the different types of treatment plans are given based on the patient's individual needs, which include medical care and monitoring. Apart from this there is also a requirement for medications, nutritional counseling and therapy, which may also include group or individual therapy. In Anorexia Nervosa emaciation and obsession to maintain a very unhealthy weight is seen in the patient. There is distortion of body image and intense fear in the patient, which urges them to constantly avoid food because they feel that they would put on weight.

Bulimia Nervosa is a common eating disorder where regular episodes of eating are there. Here the person consumes unusually large amounts of food and then purging or vomiting it out is done through excess use of laxatives. The recognition about mental disorders affecting eating disorders has been done. A vital part of getting treatments for the different types of eating disorders includes reducing the aversion from food. Relapse chances are very high in eating disorders and thus they should be treated through counseling or therapy, medications, and other methods, which can help in curing eating disorders.

• Matt Thompson
• 25/05/2009, 6:59 PM
• 0 Comments