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Over eating disorders treatment


Binge-eating disorder - Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis

To diagnose binge-eating disorder, your medical care provider may recommend a psychological evaluation, including discussion of your eating habits.

Your medical care provider also may want you to have other tests to check for health consequences of binge-eating disorder, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, GERD and some sleep-related breathing disorders. These tests may include:

  • A physical exam
  • Blood and urine tests
  • A sleep disorder center consultation

More Information

  • Urinalysis

Treatment

The goals for treatment of binge-eating disorder are to reduce eating binges and achieve healthy eating habits. Because binge eating can be so entwined with shame, poor self-image and other negative emotions, treatment may also address these and any other mental health issues, such as depression. By getting help for binge eating, you can learn how to feel more in control of your eating.

Psychotherapy

Whether in individual or group sessions, psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) can help teach you how to exchange unhealthy habits for healthy ones and reduce bingeing episodes. Examples of psychotherapy include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT may help you cope better with issues that can trigger binge-eating episodes, such as negative feelings about your body or a depressed mood. It may also give you a better sense of control over your behavior and help you regulate eating patterns.
  • Interpersonal psychotherapy. This type of therapy focuses on your relationships with other people. The goal is to improve your interpersonal skills — how you relate to others, including family, friends and co-workers. This may help reduce binge eating that's triggered by problematic relationships and unhealthy communication skills.
  • Dialectical behavior therapy. This form of therapy can help you learn behavioral skills to help you tolerate stress, regulate your emotions and improve your relationships with others, all of which can reduce the desire to binge eat.

Medications

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse), a drug for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the first FDA-approved medication to treat moderate to severe binge-eating disorder in adults. A stimulant, Vyvanse can be habit-forming and abused. Common side effects include a dry mouth and insomnia, but more-serious side effects can occur.

Several other types of medication may help reduce symptoms. Examples include:

  • Topiramate (Topamax), an anticonvulsant. Normally used to control seizures, topiramate has also been found to reduce binge-eating episodes. However, there are side effects, such as dizziness, nervousness, sleepiness and trouble concentrating, so discuss the risks and benefits with your medical care provider.
  • Antidepressants. Antidepressants may reduce binge-eating. It's not clear how these can reduce binge eating, but it may relate to how they affect certain brain chemicals associated with mood.

While these medications can be helpful in controlling binge-eating episodes, they may not have much impact on weight reduction.

Behavioral weight-loss programs

Many people with binge-eating disorder have a history of failed attempts to lose weight on their own. However, weight-loss programs typically aren't recommended until the binge-eating disorder is treated, because dieting may trigger more binge-eating episodes, making weight loss less successful.

When appropriate, weight-loss programs are generally done under medical supervision to ensure that your nutritional requirements are met. Weight-loss programs that address binge triggers can be especially helpful when you're also getting cognitive behavioral therapy.

More Information

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Psychotherapy

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Lifestyle and home remedies

Typically, treating binge-eating disorder on your own isn't effective. But in addition to professional help, you can take these self-care steps to reinforce your treatment plan:

  • Stick to your treatment. Don't skip therapy sessions. If you have a meal plan, do your best to stick to it and don't let setbacks derail your overall efforts.
  • Avoid dieting, unless it's supervised. Trying to diet can trigger more binge episodes, leading to a vicious cycle that's hard to break. Talk with your medical care provider about appropriate weight management strategies for you — don't diet unless it's recommended for your eating disorder treatment and supervised by your medical care provider.
  • Eat breakfast. Many people with binge-eating disorder skip breakfast. But, if you eat breakfast, you may be less prone to eating higher calorie meals later in the day.
  • Arrange your environment. Availability of certain foods can trigger binges for some people. Keep tempting binge foods out of your home or limit your exposure to those foods as best you can.
  • Get the right nutrients. Just because you may be eating a lot during binges doesn't mean you're eating the kinds of food that supply all the essential nutrients. Ask your medical care provider if you need to adjust your diet to provide essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Stay connected. Don't isolate yourself from caring family members and friends who want to see you get healthy. Understand that they have your best interests at heart.
  • Get active. Ask your medical care provider what kind of physical activity is appropriate for you, especially if you have health problems related to being overweight.

Alternative medicine

Most dietary supplements and herbal products designed to suppress the appetite or aid in weight loss are ineffective and may be misused by people with eating disorders. And natural doesn't always mean safe. Weight-loss supplements or herbs can have serious side effects and dangerously interact with other medications.

If you use dietary supplements or herbs, discuss the potential risks with your medical care provider.

Coping and support

Living with an eating disorder is especially difficult because you have to deal with food on a daily basis. Here are some tips to help you cope:

  • Ease up on yourself. Don't buy into your own self-criticism.
  • Identify situations that may trigger destructive eating behavior so you can develop a plan of action to deal with them.
  • Look for positive role models who can help lift your self-esteem. Remind yourself that the ultrathin models or actresses showcased in women's magazines often don't represent healthy, realistic bodies.
  • Try to find a trusted relative or friend whom you can talk with about what's going on.
  • Try to find someone who can be your partner in the battle against binge eating — someone you can call on for support instead of bingeing.
  • Find healthy ways to nurture yourself by doing something just for fun or to relax, such as yoga, meditation or simply a walk.
  • Consider journaling about your feelings and behaviors. Journaling can make you more aware of your feelings and actions, and how they're related.

Get support

If you have binge-eating disorder, you and your family may find support groups helpful for encouragement, hope and advice on coping. Support group members can understand what you're going through because they've been there themselves. Ask your medical care provider if he or she knows of a group in your area.

Preparing for your appointment

Treatment of binge-eating disorder may require a team approach that includes doctors and other medical care providers, mental health professionals and dietitians with experience in eating disorders.

Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointments. Ask a family member or friend to go with you, if possible, to help you remember key points and give a fuller picture of the situation.

What you can do

Before your appointment make a list of:

  • Symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for your appointment
  • Key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes
  • All medications you're taking, as well as any herbs, vitamins or other supplements, and their dosages
  • A typical day's eating, which can help your medical care provider or mental health professional understand your eating habits

Questions to ask your medical care provider or mental health professional include:

  • What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
  • If medication is a part of treatment, is a generic drug available?
  • Are there any brochures or other printed material I can have? What websites do you recommend?

Don't hesitate to ask other questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

Your medical care provider or mental health professional is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:

  • What does your typical daily food intake look like?
  • Do you eat unusually large amounts of food or until you're uncomfortably full?
  • Do you feel your eating is out of control?
  • Have you tried to lose weight? If so, how?
  • Do you think about food often?
  • Do you eat even when you're full or not hungry?
  • Do you ever eat in secret?
  • Do you feel depressed, ashamed or guilty about your eating?
  • Do you ever make yourself vomit to get rid of calories?
  • Are you concerned about your weight?
  • Do you exercise? How often?

Your medical care provider or mental health professional will ask additional questions based on your responses, symptoms and needs. Preparing and anticipating questions will help you make the most of your appointment time.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Binge eating disorder | Office on Women's Health

Binge eating disorder is the most common type of eating disorder in the United States. People with binge eating disorder often feel out of control and eat a large amount of food at one time (called a binge). Unlike other eating disorders, people who have binge eating disorder do not throw up the food or exercise too much. Binge eating disorder is a serious health problem, but people with binge eating disorder can get better with treatment.

What is binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder. Eating disorders are mental health problems that cause extreme and dangerous eating behaviors. These extreme eating behaviors cause other serious health problems and sometimes death. Some eating disorders also involve extreme exercise.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, women with binge eating disorder feel out of control and eat too much (binge), at least once a week for at least three months. During binges women with binge eating disorder usually eat faster than normal, eat until they are uncomfortable, eat when they are not physically hungry, and feel embarrassed, disgusted, or depressed because of the binges. Women with this type of eating disorder may be overweight or obese.

What is the difference between binge eating disorder and other eating disorders?

Women with eating disorders, such as binge eating disorder, bulimia, and anorexia, have a mental health condition that affects how they eat, and sometimes how they exercise. These eating disorders threaten their health.

Unlike people with anorexia or bulimia, people with binge eating disorder do not throw up their food, exercise a lot, or starve themselves. People with binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese. But not all people with binge eating disorder are overweight, and being overweight does not always mean you have binge eating disorder.

It is possible to have more than one eating disorder in your lifetime. Regardless of what type of eating disorder you may have, you can get better with treatment.

Who is at risk for binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder affects more than 3% of women in the United States. More than half of people with binge eating disorder are women.1

Binge eating disorder affects women of all races and ethnicities. It is the most common eating disorder among Hispanic, Asian-American, and African-American women.2,3,4

Some women may be more at risk for binge eating disorder.

  • Women and girls who diet often are 12 times more likely to binge eat than women and girls who do not diet.5
  • Binge eating disorder affects more young and middle-aged women than older women. On average, women develop binge eating disorder in their early to mid-20s.6 But eating disorders are happening more often in older women. In one study, 13% of American women over 50 had signs of an eating disorder. 7

What are the symptoms of binge eating disorder?

It can be difficult to tell whether someone has binge eating disorder. Many women with binge eating disorder hide their behavior because they are embarrassed.  

You may have binge eating disorder if, for at least once a week over the past three months, you have binged. Binge eating disorder means you have at least three of these symptoms while binging:8

  • Eating faster than normal
  • Eating until uncomfortably full
  • Eating large amounts of food when not hungry
  • Eating alone because of embarrassment
  • Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty afterward

People with binge eating disorder may also have other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.

What causes binge eating disorder?

Researchers are not sure exactly what causes binge eating disorder and other eating disorders. Researchers are finding that eating disorders might happen because of a complex combination of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors may be the cause. This combination includes having specific genes, a person's biology, body image and self-esteem, social experiences, family health history, and sometimes other mental health illnesses.

Studies suggest that people with binge eating disorder may use overeating as a way to deal with anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety, or stress.9,10

Researchers are studying how changing levels of brain chemicals may affect eating habits. Neuroimaging, or pictures of the brain, may lead to a better understanding of binge eating disorder.11

Learn more about current research and read peer-reviewed articles on binge eating disorder.

How does binge eating disorder affect a woman's health?

Many, but not all, women with binge eating disorder are overweight or obese. Obesity raises your risk for many serious health problems:12

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Certain types of cancer, including breast, endometrial (a type of uterine cancer), colorectal, kidney, esophageal, pancreatic, thyroid, and gallbladder cancer13
  • Problems with your menstrual cycle, including preventing ovulation, which can make it harder to get pregnant

People with binge eating disorder often have other serious mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, or problems with substance use. These problems can seriously affect a woman's everyday life and can be treated.

How is binge eating disorder diagnosed?

Your doctor or nurse will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history. It may be difficult to talk to a doctor or nurse about secret eating behaviors. But doctors and nurses want to help you be healthy. Being honest about your eating behaviors with a doctor or nurse is a good way to ask for help.

Your doctor may also do blood, urine, or other tests for other health problems, such as heart problems or gallbladder disease, that can be caused by binge eating disorder.

How is binge eating disorder treated?

Your doctor may refer you to a team of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists who will work to help you get better.

Treatment plans may include one or more of the following:

  • Psychotherapy. Sometimes called "talk therapy," psychotherapy is counseling to help you change any harmful thoughts or behaviors. This therapy may focus on the importance of talking about your feelings and how they affect what you do. For example, you might talk about how stress triggers a binge. You may work one-on-one with a therapist or in a group with others who have binge eating disorder.
  • Nutritional counseling. A registered dietitian can help you eat in a healthier way.
  • Medicine, such as appetite suppressants or antidepressants prescribed by a doctor. Antidepressants may help some girls and women with binge eating disorder who also have anxiety or depression.

Most girls and women do get better with treatment and are able to eat in healthy ways again.14 Some may get better after the first treatment. Others get well but may relapse and need treatment again.

How does binge eating disorder affect pregnancy?

Binge eating disorder can cause problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy, including having an infant that is large-for-gestational-age. 15 Pregnancy can also trigger binge eating disorder.

Obesity raises the level of the hormone estrogen in your body. Higher levels of estrogen can stop you from ovulating, or releasing an egg from the ovary. This can make it more difficult to get pregnant. However, if you do not want to have children right now and have sex, you should use birth control.

Overweight or obesity may also cause problems during pregnancy. Overweight and obesity raises your risk for:

  • Gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and preeclampsia (high blood pressure and kidney problems during pregnancy). If not controlled, both problems can threaten the life of the mother and the baby.
  • Gestational diabetes (diabetes that starts during pregnancy). If not controlled, gestational diabetes can cause you to have a large baby. This raises your risk for a C-section.16

Pregnancy can raise the risk for binge eating disorder in women who are at higher risk for eating disorders. In one study, almost half of the women with binge eating disorder got the condition during pregnancy. The research suggests that binge eating during pregnancy may be caused by:17

  • Worry over pregnancy weight gain. Women may binge because they feel a loss of control over their bodies because of the pregnancy weight.
  • Greater stress during pregnancy
  • Depression
  • History of smoking and alcohol abuse
  • Lack of social support

After pregnancy, postpartum depression and weight from pregnancy can trigger binge eating disorder in women with a history of binge eating. Women with binge eating disorder before pregnancy often gain more weight during pregnancy than women without an eating disorder. Researchers think that weight gain during pregnancy may cause some women who had binge eating disorder before pregnancy to binge eat during pregnancy.18

If I had an eating disorder in the past, can I still get pregnant?

Yes. Women who have recovered from binge eating disorder, are at a healthy weight, and have normal menstrual cycles have a better chance of getting pregnant and having a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Tell your doctor if you had an eating disorder in the past and are trying to become pregnant.

If I take medicine to treat binge eating disorder, can I breastfeed my baby?

Maybe. Some medicines used to treat binge eating disorder can pass through breastmilk. Certain antidepressants can be used safely during breastfeeding.

Talk to your doctor to find out what medicine works best for you. Learn more about medicines and breastfeeding in our Breastfeeding section. You can also enter a medicine into the LactMed® database to find out if the medicine passes through breastmilk and about any possible side effects for your nursing baby.

Did we answer your question about binge eating disorder?

For more information about binge eating disorder, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or contact the following organizations:

  • MentalHealth. gov
  • National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS
    Phone Number: 866-615-6464
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Referral Helpline
    Phone Number: 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727)
  • Weight-control Information Network, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
    Phone Number: 877-946-4627
  • American Psychological Association
    Phone Number: 800-374-2721
  • National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
    Phone Number: 800-931-2237
  • The Obesity Society
    Phone Number: 301-563-6526

Sources

  1. Hudson, J.I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H.G., Jr., Kessler, R.C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry; 61: 348-58.
  2. Nicdao, E.G., Hong, S., Takeuchi, D.T. (2007). Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders among Asian Americans: results from the National Latino and Asian American Study. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 40: S22-S26.
  3. Alegria, M., Woo, M., Cao, Z., Torres, M., Meng, X.-l., Streigel-Moore, R. (2007). Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in Latinos in the United States. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 40: S15-S21.
  4. Marques, L., Alegria, M., Becker, A.E., Chen, C., Fang, A., Chosak, A., et al. (2011). Comparative Prevalence, Correlates of Impairment, and Service Utilization for Eating Disorders across U.S. Ethnic Groups: Implications for Reducing Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Access for Eating Disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 44(5): 412-420.
  5. Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2005). I'm, Like, SO Fat!; Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World. New York: Guilford Press.
  6. Berkman, N. D., Brownley, K. A., Peat, C. M., et al. (2015). Management and Outcomes of Binge-Eating Disorder. Comparative Effectiveness Reviews, No. 160. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US), Rockville , MD.
  7. Gagne, D.A., Von Holle, A., Brownley, K.A., Runfola, C.D., Hofmeier, S., Branch, K.E., et al. (2012). Eating disorder symptoms and weight and shape concerns in a large web-based convenience sample of women ages 50 and above: Results of the gender and body image (GABI) study. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 45(7): 832-844.
  8. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2013.
  9. Joke, V., Vansteenkiste, M., Soenens, B., Boone, L., Mouratidis, A. (2013). Daily ups and downs in women's binge eating symptoms: The role of basic psychological needs, general self-control, and emotional eating. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology; 32(3): 335-61.
  10. Kelly, N.R., Lydecker, J.A., Mazzeo, S.E. (2012). Positive cognitive coping strategies and binge eating in college women. Eating Behaviors; 13(3): 289-92.
  11. Rikani, A.A., Choudhry, Z., Choudhry, A.M., Ikram, H., Asghar, M.W., Kajal, D., et al. (2013). A critique of the literature on etiology of eating disorders. Annals of Neurosciences; 20(4): 157-161.
  12. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2013). What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?
  13. National Cancer Institute. (2012). Obesity and Cancer Risk.
  14. Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, Z., Doll, H. A., et al. (2000). The natural course of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in young women. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 57(7), 659–665.
  15. Charbonneau, K.D., Seabrook, J.A. (2019). Adverse Birth Outcomes Associated with Types of Eating Disorders: A Review. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research; 80(3): 131-136.
  16. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2012). NIH Obesity Research Featured in HBO's The Weight of the Nation.
  17. Berg, C.K., Torgersen, L. , Von Holle, A., Hamer, A., Bulik, C.M., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T. (2011). Factors associated with binge eating disorder in pregnancy. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 44(2): 124-133.
  18. Knoph, C., Von Holle, A., Zerwas, S., Torgersen, L., Tambs, K., et al. (2013). Course and predictors of maternal eating disorders in the postpartum period. International Journal of Eating Disorders; 46(4): 355-368.

All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and maybe copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.

Page last updated: February 22, 2022

Eating disorders - treatment (therapy) of eating disorders by a psychologist, methods of psychotherapy

Eating disorders - psychologically conditioned behavioral syndromes associated with eating, leading to a deterioration in the quality of life and posing a health hazard.

In contrast to periodic violations of the diet, overeating, passion for a certain product or dish, a short-term diet, disorders are characterized by high frequency, inability to control oneself, unwillingness to see the problem. Eating disorders can cause the development of life-threatening conditions, therefore, if you find dangerous symptoms, do not try to cope with the problem on your own, but consult a doctor in Moscow by visiting the Center for the Study of Eating Disorders.

Article content:

  • Types of violations
  • Causes of occurrence and development
  • Symptoms in disorders
  • Troubleshooting
  • Treatment approaches
  • The main directions of psychotherapy
  • What therapy is effective?

Types of disorders

The following disorders are described in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10):

  • Anorexia nervosa is a deliberate and physiologically unjustified weight loss through diets, fasting, increased physical activity.
  • Bulimia - bouts of overeating, after which a person carries out cleansing procedures for fear of gaining excess weight.
  • Psychogenic overeating - food becomes the main defense against stress, psychological discomfort.
  • Psychogenic vomiting - occurs spontaneously in hypochondriacal, dissociative disorders.
  • Eating inedible - this diagnosis can be made in adults or adolescents. In children, such actions are caused by other factors and often do not require help, but only careful monitoring.
  • Psychogenic loss of appetite.

Obesity is not an ED.

Causes of occurrence and development of disorders

Eating disorders arise due to personal, social, physiological, emotional factors. Often disorders develop under the influence of several causes.

But you should remember that you are not to blame for the problems, but you need help.

Symptoms in violations

Abnormal body weight may be due to eating disorders or indicate the development of other diseases.

If the body weight is within the normal range, one should seek therapy at the CIRP for the following symptoms:

  • prolonged loss of appetite;
  • eating inedible objects;
  • aversion to food;
  • recurrent uncontrollable desire to eat - overweight or obesity appears;
  • getting rid of food by inducing vomiting or using laxatives;
  • a strong feeling of discomfort, depression due to fullness or insufficient body weight, especially if it is not very different from the norm.

Often patients do not recognize deviations in eating behavior, do not see the true problem.

Diagnosis of disorders

Diseases that develop due to eating disorders can be life-threatening, causing damage to internal organs. It is better to diagnose them in the early stages. Treatment of RPP, diagnosis is carried out by several specialists with the appointment of laboratory tests.

The patient is examined by a psychiatrist and, if necessary, referred for a consultation with an endocrinologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist or other specialists. A psychologist also works with him, and a nutritionist helps to choose a diet.

Approaches to treatment

For each patient, an individual program for the treatment of eating disorders is selected, which depends on the nature and cause of the disorder, the patient's condition at the time of contacting the "CIRP".

Psychiatrist makes a preliminary diagnosis, performs diagnostics.

In some cases (low body mass index, low or high blood pressure, life-threatening disorders of the kidneys, heart, stomach), the patient requires urgent hospitalization and intensive care. As soon as the acute symptoms are relieved by drug treatment, a psychologist can start working with the patient.

When is medication needed?

Depending on the condition of the patient suffering from eating disorders, the psychiatrist prescribes drug therapy.

Short-term use of antidepressants in the early stages of treatment is possible if bouts of overeating provoke depression or anxiety.

The main directions of psychotherapy

The number of diagnosed eating disorders is constantly growing.

New approaches to the treatment of ED are being developed in the EU, Russia, and the USA. CIRP specialists track the achievements of European and American colleagues using effective methods:

  • cognitive-behavioral;
  • family;
  • dialectical behavioral.

The treating psychiatrist determines which type of eating disorder treatment a patient needs. Often several methods are used - simultaneously or alternately. They can offer both individual work, which helps a person to understand himself, increase self-esteem, and group psychotherapy, which will make it possible to realize that other people also face such problems and successfully overcome them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A common method that has been proven to work. It combines the tools of cognitive therapy, which works with thinking errors, and the behavioral method, which allows a person to learn how to change their behavior to solve a problem.

The help of a psychologist allows you to identify errors in thinking, develop a new line of behavior, learn how to eliminate symptoms.

Family Based Therapy (FBT)

It was developed in a British clinic and has shown excellent results in patients suffering from eating disorders. A feature of this method is the work of a psychotherapist with the patient and his family members. The doctor will help the patient, his family to choose a course of action and together overcome the difficult stages of treatment.

Both individual sessions of psychotherapy with family members and group sessions are held. They allow you to track the changes that have occurred to a person as a result of an illness, find a way to help him, improve the psychological climate in the family.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy aims to teach people with eating disorders alternative ways of emotional regulation that do not involve or avoid food.

Psychotherapy for the patient provides an opportunity to gain skills:

  • safe emotional self-regulation;
  • conscious eating behavior - focus on the feeling of hunger, the body's objective needs for nutrients;
  • experiencing crisis situations - after a course of DBT psychotherapy, the likelihood of relapse of the disease decreases under severe stress;
  • communication - the ability to build constructive, friendly relationships with people allows you to make a person's life comfortable, learn to cope with stress.

Group therapy

Group therapy for eating disorders develops communication skills. A person gets the opportunity to talk about the problem with other people, to understand that he is not alone in his experiences, and that what is happening to him is not his fault. This allows you to cope with the violation of body perception.

Treatment of disorders will be effective if a person learns to get positive emotions from sports, art, communication. Depending on the characteristics of the individual, interests and preferences of the patient, the "CIRPP" may recommend to him:

  • dance and movement therapy;
  • art therapy;
  • interpersonal psychotherapy;
  • body-oriented psychotherapy.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)

Patients are advised to undergo interpersonal psychotherapy in order to treat their initial disorders. It allows you to help with the aggravated experience of grief that arose as a result of death or separation from a loved one. This type of psychotherapy is also effective in interpersonal role conflicts.

For effective therapy in adolescents, it is often necessary to work out the role transition, which will help to master new social roles, which is necessary at different stages of growing up. The treatment of eating disorders also affects the problem of interpersonal relationship deficit, which interpersonal psychotherapy helps to solve..

Dance movement therapy

Dance movement therapy is effective in the treatment of eating disorders. It allows you to solve the following tasks:

  • better understand the body, its capabilities;
  • improve self-esteem;
  • develop communication skills;
  • improve physical condition, provide physical activity with optimal load.

Like other types of therapy, classes are conducted under the guidance of psychotherapists. They help to cope with constraint, to be liberated, to create a benevolent atmosphere in the group.

Dance movement therapy does not define the optimal number of sessions. The method is designed for long-term work until the patient feels the benefit, pleasure.

Art Therapy

Art helps a person to express feelings, so it can effectively treat eating disorders.

This method of treatment makes it possible to realize, accept, express feelings, get rid of negativity, get positive emotions. The patient learns to use alternative ways of emotional self-regulation that are not related to food.

Treatment can be carried out both in groups and individually. The psychologist, in agreement with the patient, selects an interesting type of activity: drawing, modeling, crafts from various materials. The effectiveness of treatment is not affected by the patient's creative potential, so you should not refuse art therapy because of the fear of not being able to cope with the tasks.

Which therapy is effective?

The treatment of the disease associated with eating disorders must be dealt with in a complex manner. In order for the treatment to help, CIRP specialists use different methods.

Even with the same diagnosis, treatments that are effective for one patient may not be suitable for another. When choosing individual and group classes, you should not rely on the recommendations of friends or other patients.

But if you feel like expressing your feelings through dance, yoga, or woodwork, tell your mental health professional. CIRP offers a wide range of treatment methods that are used in clinics in Europe and the USA. Doctors will be able to choose effective therapy. Make an appointment in Moscow by phone +7(499) 703-20-51 or online.

Author: Korshunova Anna Aleksandrovna

Head of the Center for the Study of Eating Disorders,

psychiatrist, psychotherapist.

Eating Disorders - Symptoms and Treatments for Anorexia and Bulimia EMC Articles

Eating disorders, such as anorexia - food restriction, and bulimia - episodes of overeating, are increasingly common in today's society. Right now we can talk about an epidemic of eating disorders.

Eating disorders such as anorexia (restriction of food intake) and bulimia (binge eating) are increasingly common in today's society. Right now we can talk about an epidemic of eating disorders.
Anorexia and bulimia tend to occur in girls during adolescence. They can be primary when they develop as a primary disease, and secondary when they occur against a background of depression. As a rule, eating disorders occur when a teenager is unhappy with their appearance and wants to change. He tries to solve the problem with weight loss.
One must always remember that food restrictions are a very pleasant state of lightness, flight, which helps teenagers cope with anxiety and bad mood. Therefore, in many cases, when teenagers openly declare their desire to lose weight in order to be like their idols, there is a desire to manage their emotions or cope with anxiety behind this.

Symptoms to look out for

  • child eats small meals;
  • goes to the toilet immediately after eating;
  • sports excessively;
  • is often weighed, counts calories;
  • loses weight drastically;
  • is fixated on his appearance, considers himself fat, even if the weight is below normal.

When these symptoms are present, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible, because the further the eating disorder progresses, the more difficult it is to help the patient, especially when physiological disorders begin. In girls, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, edema appears, general metabolic disorders, and damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Eating disorders lead to severe endocrinological disorders and can cause infertility.
Bulimia is the other side of anorexia. It is expressed in episodes of uncontrolled overeating, after which, as a rule, adolescents cause vomiting. Overeating helps to cope with anxiety and emotional stress. Children often don't feel guilty about eating too much afterwards. Regular vomiting is dangerous. It leads to metabolic disorders, to irreversible disorders of the intestinal tract. Therefore, if you notice a sharp increase in weight in a child, you see that immediately after eating he goes to the toilet, find hidden food in his room, while at the same time he can be fixed on his appearance, you need to get expert advice. Additional causes for concern may be sleep disturbances, mood swings, irritability.
Each family has its own traditions and eating habits, sometimes adults instill in adolescents diets that they themselves adhere to. Against this background, an eating disorder in a child may not be pronounced. Sometimes parents' adherence to strict diets can provoke eating disorders in children.
It is wrong to focus on the idea of ​​the right weight or the right amount of food that a person should eat. For example, in a restaurant, parents can make a remark to a teenager when he asks for dessert or fix it on his appearance, on his weight, compare him with someone from a mutual friend or with his mother. This usually has a very strong effect on girls who have a predisposition to eating disorders.

Treating anorexia and bulimia is a long process

It must be remembered that food restriction is a subjectively pleasant condition, teenagers become addicted to it, so they limit themselves again and again. Treatment of anorexia and bulimia is recommended to start in a hospital under the strict supervision of clinic doctors. It is rarely possible to cope with an eating disorder on your own with the joint efforts of the family, so it is better not to take risks and contact a specialist as soon as possible.
The main goal of treatment is to relieve the patient of excessive fixation on his appearance. This is a long-term treatment, it includes many stages. But it always begins with the solution of physical problems: the restoration of the menstrual cycle and metabolism. An eating disorder is a life-threatening condition and at a critically low weight, the changes may be irreversible and the patient cannot be saved. Parents should remember this. The advantage of EMC is that the psychiatry clinic is part of a somatic hospital, where all types of diagnostics and doctors of all specializations are presented. A correction plan for each patient is developed jointly with endocrinologists, therapists, pediatricians, and gastroenterologists. Thus, a high efficiency of treatment is achieved.

The European Medical Center (Moscow) uses pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy to treat anorexia and bulimia. Drug therapy is aimed at correcting the emotional disturbances and anxiety that occur against the background of an eating disorder.

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