Understanding Eating Disorder Treatment and Best Practices
The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) reported 9% of people, which is 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder (ED) in their lifespan. The NEDA also reported 10,200 deaths per year are caused by an eating disorder. It is important to recognize the need of providing psychoeducation, community resources, and treatment options that can best help individuals suffering with an eating disorder, or disordered eating, get the treatment they need.
The difference between recognizing an eating disorder vs. disordered eating is an eating disorder is a clinical diagnosis that meets criteria from the DSM-V, such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating, and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Disordered eating is when an individual’s eating patterns are abnormal, but do not meet the specific criteria from the DSM-V (ED) diagnoses, as well these patterns of behavior are only for a limited period of time.
Each of the clinical diagnoses listed above have their own signs and symptoms. For Anorexia Nervosa, some signs and symptoms include extreme restricting eating, excessive exercise, emaciation, extreme focus on being ‘thin’, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. For Bulimia Nervosa, some signs and symptoms include engaging in purging behaviors, taking laxatives, excessive exercise, and fasting. For Binge Eating, some signs and symptoms include engaging in consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time, forcing eating when full, and eating alone or ‘in secret’. For Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, some signs and symptoms include severe restriction with specific food groups or amount of food consumed, dramatic weight loss in a short period of time, decrease in appetite or interest in food, digestive issues, ‘picky eater’ behaviors.
Early detection has shown to have the best outcomes when treating an eating disorder, or disordered eating. There are three levels of care when it comes to treating an eating disorder, such as in-patient, intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient. A collaborative care approach has been shown to have the best results for someone suffering from an eating disorder, including therapy, medication management, and nutritional counseling.
Call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers if you feel like you have been struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating. We have counselors who specialize in this area available to help! Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years!
Supporting Articles:
https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/resources/eating-disorder-statistics
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/eating-disorders
https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/
https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/why-are-eating-disorders-rise
