People with anorexia nervosa are significantly underweight and have a fear of becoming fat. They maintain a low body weight through restricting eating and other behaviours, such as excessive exercise. They may also binge or purge. Our service provides outpatient treatment for people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, BED, and ARFID. We use a cognitive behavioural therapy approach to help patients normalize their eating, reduce problematic behaviours, and improve their quality of life.
Diagnosis
Once a doctor has decided that you have an eating disorder, they will offer treatment to help you get better. It usually involves a combination of talking therapy and supervised weight gain. You may be offered different kinds of talking therapy, depending on the type of eating disorder you have. These treatments are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). For example, you might be offered enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E), or Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adults, or a family-based therapy.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes you to maintain a low weight by restricting your food intake or engaging in excessive exercise. It is often seen in young women and girls, but it can occur in teenage boys and men, too. People with anorexia also have a distorted view of themselves, often believing that they are fat or thin even when they are very underweight. This can lead to a lot of damage to your body, particularly to your bones, which can cause osteoporosis.
Treatment
People with an eating disorder often hide their illness and don’t seek help. They may feel they’re too weak to change their behaviour or they may not realise they have a problem. They also might be afraid of putting on weight or believe that their low weight will improve their health. Central london anorexia treatment nervosa involves a combination of talking therapy and supervised weight gain. It’s important to start treatment early to reduce the risk of long-term health complications, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
For young people, GPs usually refer them to children and young people’s mental health services or the paediatrics department of their hospital. If they are very unwell, doctors can decide to section them under the Mental Health Act. Individual therapy aims to normalise eating, address body image concerns and identify the factors that keep someone trapped in an eating disorder. This is typically done through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It may include family-based treatment (FBT) or adolescent-focused psychotherapy.
Counselling
Generally, treatment for an eating disorder includes talking therapy and supervised weight gain. It’s important to start eating disorder treatment as early as possible, to reduce your risk of serious complications, such as heart problems and brain damage. Talking therapies include enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-E), Maudsley Model of Eating Disorders Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA) and Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM). These are recommended by NICE guidelines.
During these treatments, your therapist will help you to understand why you have an eating disorder and the problems it’s causing. They’ll also teach you how to eat healthily and increase your calorie intake gradually. This is done in a supportive, compassionate and non-judgemental environment. The therapist will take a keen interest in you as a person, beyond your eating disorder. This includes exploring the advantages and disadvantages of change, as well as your values and aspirations. They will help you to decide what is right for you and your family.
Support Groups
People with eating disorders can be very isolated and it’s important to find support. There are a number of online and face to face support groups available for those with eating disorders and their carers. These include Beat, which provides information, peer support, and helplines for those affected by eating disorders. The charity also offers eating disorder awareness training and a range of online resources.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes someone to be dangerously underweight. It involves extreme food restriction and excessive exercise, and a distorted view of body shape and weight. Often, those with anorexia nervosa take purging actions to try to lose more weight – this can include self induced vomiting and misuse of laxatives and diuretics. Those with anorexia nervosa can often be very depressed and have low self esteem. They may be reluctant to seek help and can hide their condition from others for a long time, even when they are in serious danger.
Conclusion
Inpatient treatment provides a safe, nurturing environment where you receive intensive 24-hour care. It helps you to recognise and challenge eating disorder behaviours such as food restriction, over-exercise and vomiting. Your doctors will check your weight and health regularly. Depending on the severity of your anorexia, you may be admitted to hospital for compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act.
