The Treatment Process of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders may be pervasive, stubborn, and dangerous, but they are highly treatable. This reality, however, is very often lost in highly emotionalized media portrayals of eating dis­orders. In fact, the greatest stumbling blocks to treatment are exactly the sort of misconceptions that are so often exploited and fostered by the media. Likewise, fear that treatment is harsh can impede progress, when the fact is that successful therapy is gentle and gradual. It is especially impor­tant for people who have anorexia to know this because their intense fear of gaining weight can keep them from getting treatment.

The treatment of eating disorders has under­gone many changes over the past several decades, and therapeutic approaches continue to adapt both to new information about the nature of eating dis­orders and to developments in the surrounding cul­ture. In the early 1980s, for example, a much more medical approach often involving lengthy hospital­ization was adopted once an eating disorder was taken seriously enough to warrant professional attention.

More recently, however, the high costs and diffi­culties of that treatment, combined with the results of research and professional experience with eating disorders, have led to different therapeutic tech­niques. Despite the fact that certain patterns are similar from one eating disorder to another, the pre­vailing approach now is to consider each patient as unique. Therefore, treatment is tailored to meet individual needs. To accomplish this, a specialist or a group of specialists works with each patient.

An overview of treatments

Because eating disorders stem from complex physi­cal, psychological, medical, and social roots, their treatment often calls for a combination of approaches that involves physicians, psychothera­pists, pharmacologists, and nutritionists working individually or as a team. Even if therapy is initiated during a hospital stay, the patient also can benefit from the support of family and friends.

Each treatment plan is individualized. For exam­ple, someone who has occasional purging problems but no physical symptoms might need an initial checkup with a physician and then might see only a therapist. Or, someone who strictly limits food intake might need to see a therapist only. Other peo­ple, however, need to be encouraged to eat and to give up food rules. In these cases, regular consulta­tions with a psychotherapist would in all likelihood speed recovery.

Some people are more comfortable working with their own physician once they have been able to admit a problem and accept help. This treatment can be successful if the doctor is well versed in deal­ing with eating disorders. A physician with less expertise would be wise to consult a specialist even if the patient does not wish to seek other therapy.

Depending on the specifics of a patient's condi­tion, treatment can be successful after a fairly brief series of sessions with a therapist, or it can take longer or require more intense multidisciplinary attention. Most patients find long-term follow-up valuable, perhaps in the form of professional ther­apy or support groups, or simply by employing tech­niques learned during treatment.