Co-occurring Disorders Treatment

Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders: How to Find Treatment

Eating disorders wreak havoc on a person's health: not only on their physical health, but their mental health, too Because many factors influence the development of eating disorders, whether it’s a binge eating disorder, bulimia, or having unhealthy eating behaviors and dieting to an extreme, a unique treatment plan must address the unique needs of the whole person as a healthcare protocol.

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders are illnesses characterized by abnormal eating habits or distorted body image issues that adversely impact one’s physical or mental health. This includes abnormal eating habits, unhealthy fixations on food, weight, and having distorted perceptions of themselves and their bodies. Typically, those with eating disorders demonstrate unhealthy behavior around food, whether it’s restricting calorie intake, purging food, or eating to the point of becoming sick (binging). Though eating disorders primarily affect females, particularly teenagers and young adults/adolescents, males also suffer from them.

Types of Eating Disorders.

There are many kinds of eating disorders out there, from weight gain to weight loss, to even excessive exercise. The most common eating disorders we’ll cover here are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and involves very restricted eating in the pursuit of achieving an extremely low body weight (at all costs.
Bulimia nervosa involves recurrent episodes of binging (eating unusually large amounts of food), followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, using laxatives or compulsive exercise after they indulge.
Binge eating disorder involves compulsive episodes of overeating without the compensatory behaviors associated with bulimia nervosa, leading to eating too much food (that’s often unhealthy), which leads to gaining weight over time.

Other eating disorders include compulsive overeating, pica (compulsive eating, chewing, or licking non-food items such as paper, cigarette ashes or chalk), and purging disorder (vomiting or exhibiting other elimination behaviors in the absence of binging behaviors.)

What Causes Eating Disorders?

While the exact cause of developing an eating disorder is unknown, a combination of genetic, psychological, environmental and social factors is thought to play a role.

Mental Health Conditions

Often, individuals suffering from eating disorders have low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, loneliness, or other co-occurring conditions. Peer and cultural factors, including narrow definitions of beauty; the glorification of thinness; and an emphasis on appearance over character, may also contribute to the development of eating disorders, which is especially prevalent among adolescents.

Genetic Influences

Even though eating disorders are seen as more of a mental health or cultural issue, recent research is looking into how genetics may be a likely factor. If a close family member had an eating disorder, it’s more likely you’ll develop one, too, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll repeat the pattern.

Having a History of Abuse

Finally, individuals with eating disorders may have a history of physical or sexual abuse or other childhood trauma. Trauma can leave a person feeling powerless or disconnected from their body. Developing an eating disorder may give the person a temporary sense of control, even through unhealthy means. And, restricting food or purging can be a way to “numb their pain”.

Effects of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can have serious physical and psychological consequences:

Physical Effects

Patients with eating disorders are often extremely malnourished. Many suffer from electrolyte imbalances, osteoporosis, constipation, diarrhea and dental problems. More serious complications, such as cardiac arrest, kidney failure, brain atrophy, death and suicide, also result from eating disorders.

Mental Effects

Having an eating disorder can wreak havoc on your psychological health, and many patients develop mental health conditions where they need talk therapy to seek help. Restricting food and counting calories is mentally taxing, and can cause severe anxiety, paranoia, depression, and obsessive thinking. Having a distorted body image and outlook on food causes low self-esteem, and can cause the patient to feel social isolation as they can’t relate to their peers and have normal meals together. Lastly, eating disorders can result in experiencing suicidal thoughts or becoming suicidal: it’s the second leading cause of death in those with anorexia nervosa, and suicidal behavior is elevated in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

The Importance of Early Intervention

If you notice any atypical signs from a loved one that they may be experiencing an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to get help immediately. When eating disorders are treated early-on, there are:

Improved recovery rates
Reduced long-term impact
Lower treatment intensity
Less severe symptoms
Less long-term mental disorders concern
A chance to establish healthier eating patterns

Early Warning Signs of an Eating Disorder

If you or a loved one are exhibiting behavior that demonstrates having an eating disorder, it’s best to seek professional help right away. These tell-tale signs include:

Having an obsession with weight, calories, or food (such as excessive calorie counting or having frequent negative comments about body image
Dramatic shifts in eating habits (including skipping meals, eating extremely small portions, or eating excessively until the person is sick)
Odd eating habits: This may include cutting food into very tiny pieces, re-arranging food on the plate, or excessive chewing
Purging: This includes taking laxatives frequently, vomiting after eating, or using diuretics to get rid of calories
Exercising excessively: Spending hours at the gym or becoming obsessed with burning calories may be a form of having an eating disorder

How Eating Disorders are Diagnosed

Diagnosing eating disorders involves both a physical and psychological component that involve medical care. Your doctor will perform a physical exam to assess any clues of an eating disorder, such as signs of malnutrition, dehydration, or electrolyte imbalances, vital sign imbalances, weight issues, and assessing blood test results – such as looking at the thyroid function and any other markers of nutritional deficiency. A registered dietician may be involved, in some cases. Then, a psychologist or mental health professional who specializes in eating disorders will assess the state of your mental health and well-being. They’ll ask questions about your eating habits, thoughts, feelings and your overall relationship with food, as well as your weight. They’ll also assess your mental health history and implement standardized screening tools or questionnaires to assess symptoms of having an eating disorder.

Treating Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are complex mental health illnesses, however, there are many treatments to help the sufferer get back on their feet. The most effective eating disorder treatment programs approach individuals from a holistic perspective. A treatment program typically involves a combination of psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, medical monitoring, and medications to treat underlying causes, such as anxiety and depression.

These treatment programs:

Identify underlying causes of eating disorders
Address psychological, biological, social and cultural factors that influence eating disorders
Teach coping strategies
Treat other health problems and co-occurring disorders

A Typical Course of Eating Disorder Treatment

Usually, eating disorder treatment programs involve behavioral counseling or psychotherapy, family-based therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, nutritional counseling, and help from therapists, support groups and other experienced professionals. Medication may be used both to combat co-occurring mental health issues and to manage the many health problems that often arise from eating disorders.

While the treatment of eating disorders can sometimes be treated in an outpatient setting, many patients flourish in the therapeutic, nurturing environments that residential or inpatient programs offer. Inpatient treatment or hospitalization may be necessary and beneficial for the following types of patients:

Individuals who have suffered from an eating disorder for a long time
Those with severe cases of the disorder; even life-threatening
Those with comorbidities, such as drug addiction, anxiety, or severe depression
Those with severe health complications

Hospitalization and inpatient treatment programs should be followed by continued outpatient treatment. Follow-up care and monitoring, which is essential for preventing relapse, should continue after outpatient treatment is complete.

How Caron Can Help Treat Eating Disorders

Caron is proud to treat individuals with eating disorders and those with body image issues. Our expert team of compassionate professionals completes a thorough assessment to determine if there are eating disorders or body image issues and if there are co-occurring mental health disorders present, as well.

If you or someone you love has an eating disorder or suffers from severe body image issues, Caron’s team is here for you. At Caron, we believe everyone can recover with the right treatment plan.Learn more about Caron online or call us today at 1-844-976-1588.