Treatment of Eating disorders
(General)

The immediate focus of treatment in anorexia nervosa is the restoration of the individual’s body weight to a normal state. Otherwise complications involving emaciation, dehydration and other symptoms associated with malnutrition will cause death. In terms of treatment is also very difficult to work with individuals in a state of starvation. In sever cases hospitalization is often necessary. In less sever cases the therapist needs to work with the client to establish terms of weight gain if malnutrition is sever enough. After discharge from the hospital it is necessary to continue some sort of out patient supervision, often in the form of individual therapy to deal with profound issues of self-worth and other psychological problems. Some times this includes family therapy but this is a more provocative form of treatment that has to be considered carefully.

In terms of psychological and emotional treatment there are many methods that professionals believe useful. Each individual inflicted with an eating disorder needs to be evaluate and various approaches should be taken into consideration.

Most patients are uninterested and resistant to psychiatric treatment and are usually brought doctor’s office by distressed family or friends. The patient is often critical of the treatment program, reticent and rarely accepts advice. Emphasizing the benefits of treatment, such as the relief from insomnia and depressive symptoms, may help persuade the individual to continue. This type of direction may also begin the process of acknowledging more serious problems. It may be one way to breach the issue of hospitalization if that is a necessary course. Family and peer support is a helpful piece of the process.

One difficulty is that people with eating disorders are experts at disguising symptomotology. It is often the reason that many individuals have developed serious problems before they come to light.

Behavioral conditioning in conjuncture with other therapeutic interventions has become recognized as a combination for treatment of eating disorders. Pharmacological agents have also been successful, particularly Thorazine. Antidepressants have been effective in treating anorexia nervosa.