Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex mental health problems, that typically involve unhealthy eating behaviours, such as constant dieting, bingeing on large amounts of food, increase in consumption of laxatives, and exercising compulsively. Early intervention is usually paramount to a person’s recovery. Eating disorders often originate in emotional issues. In Ark Psychotherapy we use a specialised form of CBT (called ‘enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy’ or CBT-E) to treat all forms of eating disorders. We can help you to understand how and why the problem started, to develop a more positive relationship with food and nutrition, and to deal with difficult emotions in a better way.
What are eating disorders?
There are two types of eating disorders: bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The symptoms include the following:
- Low body weight
- Intense fear of weight gain
- Over-evaluation of shape and weight
- Lack of menstrual cycles in women or reduced libido in men
Severe cases of eating disorders may require hospital treatment, however, most cases can be treated by psychotherapy only. These are usually referred as subclinical eating disorders. Those who develop an unhealthy pattern of eating behaviour usually have some, but not all, of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia described above.
A significant role in developing subclinical eating disorders play the cultural attitudes about food and body image that surround us. Individuals are bombarder with messages about food and dieting. Convincing commercials tell us which foods are “clean” and which foods aren’t, how to reduce unnecessary belly fat, what exercise routine is needed in order to get bikini-ready, etc. It may be very easy to get caught up in this stream of messages.
Some Numbers
The research shows that more than 29 million people in the UK are on a diet. The weight-loss industry—including diet books, diet drugs, and weight-loss surgeries—brings in more than $220 billion globally. 75% women surveyed in UK reported unhealthy thoughts, feelings or behaviours related to food or their bodies images.
91% of young women surveyed on a college campus reported attempting to control their weight through dieting. 22% reported dieting “often” or “always.” It is estimated that 35% of “normal dieters” will progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full diagnosis of eating disorders.
Who Develops Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders affect women more than men. Five to ten per cent of the adolescent girls on the will have some degree of disordered eating, and may, in time require therapy. Eating disorders are not restricted to a particular ethnic group. Eating disorders can run in families, and are more like to develop in people with personality traits of low self-esteem and perfectionism.
Getting help
It is often the case that people with eating disorders will present themselves with mixed feelings about the idea of therapy and “getting better”. Usually people struggle with the idea of needing treatment, and minimise the effects of the disorder eating on their health and other aspects of life. Oftentimes it is a parent, a friend, a partner, or a relative who motivates the person to seek treatment.
Treatment
There are several different forms of psychotherapy for eating disorders. Of those, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most thoroughly researched, and it has been proven to be very successful in cases when people understand their problem and are well motivated.
Qualities Of A Good Therapist
Regardless of the approach you need to develop a strong therapeutic relationship with your therapist. This will be the base of your success in treatment. Such relationship is characterised by a good degree of empathy and respect. It is likely that your therapist will challenge your unhealthy behaviours, and will then help you to develop more heathy coping mechanisms. Further, your therapist with help you to explore your negative emotions linked to your eating disorder. It is common that there is an interplay of thoughts and feelings and behaviours behind the disorder. In order to produce lasting results all of the above need to be addressed. Therapy that addresses behaviours only is likely to achieve short-term effects only.
During his long career in mental health, Arkadius Kyllendahl spend seven years working with eating disordered patients in one of the hospitals in North London. He has developed a high level of competence in treating these conditions. Currently, he offers in his private practice his expertise to clients with subclinical levels of eating disorders. If you consider yourself to be struggling with an unhealthy pattern of eating behaviour, and would like to reach for help, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by filling the confidential contact form, email, or by phone.