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How do people behave with Eating Disorders? How to help them? Treatment

ED creeps up at a person without realising it. Slowly, step by step, just a little by little and in the end you are completely and utterly manipulated by it. It creates a sub-personality, as if there are two people in one body. They have a secondary voice within them that pushes them into behaviours that reinforce the disorder.

HOW TO TREAT EATING DISORDERS

The person with anorexia, as with many other ED, stops listening to reason. Most of the time they don’t even realise the consequences of their actions. Their whole existence is consumed by it. Everything in their life is about it. If you are a parent of such a child, you find that your son/daughter have completely changed and you stop recognising them.

Eating disorder treatments depends on the particular disorder and

the symptoms, but where to start.

1. HOSPITAL/HOSPITALISATION

If there already is a life threatening health consequence from the disorder it is only logical

to treat that first as soon as possible.

Sometimes the person with the disorder doesn’t even realise that his/her life is on a brink of death. For example after some form of starvation and the beginning of a “normal” healthy food intake, the body can react negatively and “REFEEDING SYNDROME” may occur, which is life threatening. A person who is severely malnourished or starved and then nutrients are reintroduced into his/her organism a metabolic disturbance happens in their body. This is the reason why after realising that you or someone close to you has a problem and developed one or more forms of ED then is essential to go and get a complete physical check up, blood and urine tests.

Many times the person is needed to be hospitalised in the psychiatric word specialised for Eating disorders to not only strictly monitor and regulate eating habits, but also should work on the mental health of the patient.

2. THERAPY

There are many types of therapy that can help (see my article “How to choose the right therapy, therapist), but many therapist may not have experience with dealing with Eating disorders which need a very specific approach. It is important for the therapist to not only deal with the client’s relationship to their bodies and food, but also to the past trauma that has created it. Food, Kilograms and body shapes are not the main issue.

In many cases the patient would be encouraged to visit a psychiatrist who is specialised in Eating Disorders to find whether the person has another underlying mental health issue that caused ED like depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, a form of autism, post traumatic syndrome…etc.

Family members and carers also need therapy so it is recommended for them to make an appointment with a therapist. Family members or carers of a person with an eating disorder may experience severe distress and anxiety.

It's not easy to find someone who will really help, but you shouldn’t lose hope and you have to keep fighting either for yourself or for your loved one who has ED

3. NUTRITION CUNSULTING

It is imperative to find and consult a registered dietitian to provide education on nutrition and help create a meal plan for the patient. Why? Because the body may need specific nutrients for specific health issues that were the consequence of the disorders. In addition to nutrients in food the patient may need supplements to help put the body in good physical healthy condition again.

Also it is very important to understand that healthy gaining or healthy losing weight means: regulated, step by step, slowly rather than quickly to not create shock for the body. It is essential to monitor other aspects of the body more than calories and kilos like the hormonal system, healthy body nutrient absorption, the condition of the heart, heart rate, blood pressure and other.

The nutritionist will also help prepare a meal plan that will not consist the food allergies or food that the person is intolerant to. These allergies and food intolerances may have been created from the stress the body went through after the abnormality in food consumption. They can also be a part of the cause for ED, where the person endured physical pain like stomach pain from foods that the body wasn’t able to digest properly and so they stopped eating all together to avoid that discomfort.

4. MEDICAL MONITORING

It is important for a person with Eating Disorder to have regular check ups with the doctor it they are not hospitalised. At the beginning it is recommended to have it at least once a week depending on the severity of the health issues. The doctor should do regular monitoring of vital signs. Heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, blood, stool and urine tests.

5. MEDICATION

It depends on what health problems resulted from the specific ED. Either medication from a gastroenterologist for gastro issues, allergy or intolerance medication, liver, heart medication …etc. That is why it is a must for a complete physical check up from various medical specialists.

Maybe psychiatric medication can be prescribed by the psychiatrist if he/she deem important because of some heavy mental health problems they have diagnosed.

6. EDUCATION

Education, education and education.

Many people who have fallen into the ED pit told me that they didn’t know it would cause so much problems. Not only for themselves, but for others too. If we teach people about what eating disorders are, what symptoms they have and what are all the consequences, then just maybe they wouldn’t jump into that hole. Not only correctly educating people about nutrients, how really the body works, about the negativity of “The body cult” these days, but also about self-love, self-confidence and self-acceptance. I would recommend Therapy classes in schools (read my article “Why do I need Therapy”)

Education should be directed to parents too. Many children, and young adults are swept by this illness these days. Parents sometimes have no idea that under their roof is a child that is suffering. It is so very important for parents to not feel guilty, because as I wrote before, people with ED, for example Anorexia are above the average intelligence. That is why many times it is very hard to spot ED in people who have it, but let me tell you of some things you may look for:

1. First possible RED FLAG “Healthy food”.

They may start by saying that they want to start eating healthy. If they do tell you that, then please see to it that they understand what that means. Educate yourself and your children about what is needed for their specific age. I would even recommend going to a specialist like a professional nutritionist. Many times even us adults don’t take the right root to a real healthy eating and we should know better., so how could they understand what is essential for their natural growth and what and how much is ok to eliminate from their food menu.

1. Hiding behind clothes.

For example wearing bigger, baggy clothes to hide the body. This is difficult to spot, because it can just be a fashion thing, but you may notice a sudden shift in style of clothes or in their behaviour for example with changing in front of you or other people.

1. Not eating in front of others or changes in behaviour while eating.

These days many families do not have the ritual of eating together so it is difficult to notice whether your sons or daughters are eating properly, mainly when they are in puberty and are more independent. If you feel something isn’t quit right, then try to organise a family dinner and quietly start noticing the behaviour. Depending on the ED they may act in different ways.

• They may want to go to the toilet immediately after eating (for example with Bulimia).

• They may say “I have already eaten”, or “I will eat later” (for example with Anorexia)

• They may even start fidgeting with food, playing with it, seeming they are eating, but don’t eat it at all or just a little.

• Chewing the food too long

• Argumentative when it comes to types of food that is served

• Anxious or nervous while eating

• Eating too fast or too slow

• Eating food with low or zero nutrition

• Saying they have stomach ache or headache

• and other changes that are repetitive in their behaviour with food and eating

Again, all this can be normal behaviour, but when it starts to be repetitive, then it’s time to look deeper into the situation.

My recommendation is to have at least once a week a family lunch or dinner. Create a ritual. It has many benefits for the family. Talk to each other, ask

1. Counting calories, looking at food labels before buying or eating.

2. Excessive exercise. Too much and too long.

3. Fidgeting, small or big repetitive body movements.

For example, jumping in place, stepping from foot to foot, hand movements, etc. (also called Anorexic Tic - This is when the body is in constant motion, as this behaviour is believed to burn calories and help with weight loss, and people with ED don't even realise they're doing it. It can look like a nervous tics)

4. Other changes in behaviour.

Your child is more tired than usual, withdrawn, anxious, frustrated and mood swings

5. Extreme changes in weight.

6. Some people with ED even have paranoia about gaining weight

7. Some people with ED have an unhealthy fixation with the lowest number on the scale.

(Sometimes they don't even know what their ideal bottom number is, they're just glad it's going down.)

8. Avoiding looking in the mirror

9. Obsessed with watching videos of people eating food. The feeling that others are eating food instead of them. Sometimes they also like to feed others for the feeling that "since the others are eating, I don't have to”.

CONCLUSION

I will briefly repeat a few important pieces of information:

1. ED is a mental health issue and not the fault of the person with the disorder.

2. The cause is usually a problem other than appearance and food. ED is about emotions and the feeling of compensation for something that a person lacks.

3. People with ED are very intelligent and know how to hide it. It is very difficult to recognise people with ED.

4. Parents and loved ones of a person with ED should not feel guilty for not learning about the problem or not recognising it earlier. People with such a diagnosis can hide it. The important thing is to focus on the treatment and not the blame.

5. ED is a form of addiction that is very difficult to break. A person with ED uses this addiction to force their mind to focus on something they think they can control. It is often also about the need to control at least something in their life.

6. A large percentage of patients with ED will recover if the cause of the disorder is sought out, and not focused only on the return of the physical body to the "norm", which is very often the case with some treatment procedures.

7. Only 1 in 10 people with ED will seek and receive treatment.

8. It is important to be educated. The more we know, the more possible it is to avoid the problems.

9. If a person wants to lose weight or to gain weight, it is important to seek the advice of a professional and create a tailor-made diet.

10. Finally, it is important to address not only a healthy body, but also a healthy mind, heart and soul. Everyone should visit a therapist once in a while to deal with their trauma, their sadness, their insecurities and more. A person can have a perfect body, but they may not be happy. Beauty is relative. When we are happy, we radiate. That's why it is said that we are most beautiful when we are in love.