How to Help: Treatment for People with Eating Disorders
Treatments for eating disorders with the aid of a psychologist or counselor are the only types of treatment that will be referred to in this article. This is because they have been proven effective, and most other methods are not reliable enough to consider. Therapy and counseling are the critical parts of treatment, but since eating disorders affect both the mind and body, other health professionals are going to be needed. Dieticians and doctors are most likely going to accompany mental health professional in the process of bringing an inflicted person back to health.
Family and friends will play a key role in the process of recovery. The change of emotions and eating styles will cause a lot of emotional stress in the patient. Support will be both physical and emotional. Driving the patient to appointments and verify that food and nutrients are ingested would be examples of physical support. Emotional support would include being a shoulder to cry on, or being a pillar of strength to look to during times of change for the patient.
A typical step in recovery is education about nutritional needs and the body. This usually includes the planning of meals and explaining the reasons for which foods the patient will be eating and why they need to eat it.
Hospitalization occurs if the patient is experiencing physical problems. This usually occurs if body weight is extremely low, and/or if a patient is experiencing a life-threatening symptom. Outpatient procedures usually occur after a successful hospitalization or as a normal course of action if hospitalization is not needed. Outpatient procedures are the preferred route of treatment. This allows the patient to be in the comfortable hands of family or friends. Outpatient therapy can include group therapy, family counseling, nutritional counseling, and possibly psychiatric medications.
Success of treatment is related to how soon the problem is diagnosed. The longer something is practiced, the harder the patterns are to break. Eating disorders do incredible damage to the mind and body so the longer an eating disorder is left untreated the more dangerous it becomes. Death can eventually result from organ failure due to malnutrition. If you feel that you are suffering from an eating disorder you have to talk to someone about it as soon as possible. If you feel that you can not approach your parents then it would be a good idea to go to a school nurse, school counselor, neighbor, friend, or teacher.
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