THERAPY FOR EATING PROBLEMS AND DISORDERS
Does your relationship with food cause you problems? There are several different types of Eating Problem which can make you change your eating habits or patterns. If these are affecting your life or health contact us on 0800 0614548 today and find out how therapy with us can help you.
WHAT ARE EATING PROBLEMS AND DISORDERS?
You may find that your relationship with food and your own body image fluctuate throughout your life – this is perfectly normal. However if you find that you are becoming obsessed with these and that your eating patterns or health are affected then it may be helpful to find out more about problem eating and disorder.
There are three types of eating difficulty and whether they are a called a problem or a disorder is related to how significantly they affect you:
Anorexia Nervosa: May be a problem if you excessively try to keep your weight low as you can through not eating, over exercising or using weight loss medications when they are not recommended.
Bulimia: May be a problem if you find that you are controlling your weight and body through a mix of binge eating and purging (vomiting or using laxatives). Often the mixture of binging and purging will be very closely linked to your emotions and physical sensations.
Binge Eating: May be a problem if you find that you are persistently over eating to a level that affects your mood or physical health. Often it it may seem very difficult to control when and how much you eat.
Often signs of the first two eating problems will appear around your mid to late teens, however it is possible to experience them at any age. More people experience Bulimia than Anorexia, and Binge Eating problems are showing a gradual increase across the population. It is often the case that binge eating problems can begin at a later age than other eating problems – often around middle age.
You may find that your eating patterns are causing physical problems such as tooth decay, kidney damage, reproductive problems, high or low blood pressure, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems.
They can of course also have a big impact on how you feel – and so problems such as depression and low self esteem may also be affecting you.
WHAT TREATMENTS HELP EATING PROBLEMS AND DISORDERS?
There are a range of different psychological therapies that can be effective in working with Eating Disorders and problems and it is important that whichever treatment you decide works with both your emotional and physical health.
There is a good level of research that shows Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is effective at working with both the factors that may keep your eating difficulties going but also looking at what areas within your life might make you vulnerable to problems reoccurring after treatment.
Your therapist will work with you by identifying a healthy target weight that is both acceptable to you and realistic. As therapy moves forward you will be introduced to and helped to use a range of techniques that explore your attitudes to food, eating and your body – together with ideas of how to maintain healthy eating patterns.
