Eating Disorder Treatment - Overcoming Eating Disorders

While the term "eating disorder" brings to mind a person who is severely underweight, in reality these disorders affect people who are many different shapes and sizes. People that suffer from an eating disorder can be the stereo-typical underweight or the severely overweight person, but more commonly they are everyday people that appear to be a healthy weight. Many times these types of disorders can be brought simply by a distorted body image that gets blown way out of proportion.

Sometimes, your support and understanding are enough to help a loved one with an eating disorder, but if they are not open to hearing what you have to say, do not try to force them into believing they have a problem. Just leave yourself available to talk about it when they find that they are ready. At times, that is the best help you can offer someone. Don't forget that when you offer them words of advice, you will not get anywhere by telling them that they would get better if they would just eat - or stop eating, in the case of someone who is overweight. This will only shut more doors than it opens.

Do not blame yourself for their condition, but more importantly, while you should not be afraid to communicate your concerns, do not allow yourself to place blame on them either.

If being supportive doesn't work, professional help may be required. In extreme cases, there are ways people who suffer from these disorders can get the help they need, such as an eating disorder treatment designed specifically for their particular problem by a therapist trained in this field.

Eating disorders affect more than just a person's weight, they affect their entire body, as well as their mind. That means the longer your loved one suffers from a distorted body image, the more damage they could be doing, and this damage can become irreparable.

A doctor will be able to assess the individual's problem and to address any concerns they may have, as well as offer an effective method of treatment. Psychotherapy is often recommended. This entails either group or individual therapy that aims to help them identify what is causing them to have an eating disorder in the first place.

After identifying the root cause of a person's disorder, the individual is then taught how to successfully address the issue. Recovery is commenced by encouraging them to improve their self esteem and to begin exploring healthy ways to cope with stress and other types of emotional pain. Occasionally, family therapy is also used.

It is incredibly important that some sort of therapy is sought for these kinds of problems, since the longer a disorder is left undiagnosed, the more complicated it will be to overcome - both physically and emotionally.