Although trite and irreverent, the above “attention grabber” is technically correct. For anyone suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder, an accredited eating disorder program is essential and life-saving. Without recovery, these people will probably die from the medical complications of their condition. The primary obstacle to recovery via an eating disorder program is the secrecy that always prevails in these disorders.
Sufferers are extremely reluctant to change their pathological eating behavior. Denial of the problem is pervasive and they very rarely seek professional help through an eating disorder program. Most sufferers enter treatment either at the insistence of friends and family, or by physicians when they experience a heart attack, kidney failure, or another medical complication of eating disorders.
How can an Eating Disorder Program Help Me?
The first and most essential step is to stop denying that you have a problem and admitting to yourself and trusted others that you need professional help. An eating disorder is not something you can “fix” by yourself. You need a very structured, on-going eating disorder program, most likely an in-patient program. You need to be hospitalized for maximum benefit from the eating disorder program; being treated as an out-patient gives you ample opportunity to not follow the instructions of the program and thereby failing to recover.
Hospitalization is definitely indicated if your weight is so low from anorexia, it’s life-threatening, or if you are binging and purging (vomiting) several times a day due to bulimia.
Eating disorder programs are very comprehensive. Since the great majority of people who suffer from eating disorders also suffer from depression and/or anxiety, you will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if antidepressant and/or an antianxiety medication would benefit you. All eating disorder programs provide intensive nutritional counseling.
You will, simply, learn how to eat in a normal and healthy manner. You will receive extensive medical treatment for the medical complications, often severe, caused by anorexic and/or bulimic behaviors. If you’re bulimic, you’ll have your teeth evaluated by a dentist. Constant vomiting causes the enamel on your teeth to erode from stomach acids, leading to massive tooth decay and loss.
No eating disorder program is complete without intensive psychotherapy by a team of therapists who habitually treat eating disorders. Individual therapy helps you express the distressing feelings of fear, loneliness, anger, sadness and others that you’ve been self-medicating with food or self-starvation. Your program will include daily group therapy sessions.
You need to know that you’re not alone in your troubles, and receive help and support from others who have “been there.” In group, you can speak rather than remain silent about your disorder. Family therapy is also important in eating disorder programs especially for teenagers.
Parents want to understand your disorder and help you overcome it. With adults, your spouse or relationship partner can also be a tremendous source of support. Most important, in a recovery program that involves friends and/or family, they will learn to immediately recognize the signs that you’ve relapsed back into anorexia and/or bulimia and assist you in seeking aftercare support to get back into recovery.
After you’re discharged from the hospital, eating disorder programs strongly recommend your participation in support groups. These support groups for anorexia, bulimia and binge overeating are run by those who are in long-term recovery, not by professionals. Your continuation of aftercare services is vitally important to prevent relapses. Your in-patient program can help you find a support group that is effective for you.