Treatments for Eating Disorders - Treatments for Teen Eating Disorders

Some types of treatment for eating disorders are:

Psychotherapy is a crucial aspect of eating disorder treatment. Although the types of therapy may differ according to the person's preference, motivation, or developmental stage, the goal is to encourage healthy eating and weight gain, reduce symptoms of eating disorders and facilitate physical and psychological recovery. Some types of psychotherapy that are often used include:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)- Helps people to recognize distorted thinking patterns and replace these ideas with more realistic ones.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IT)- Helps to reveal issues and problems that are underlying the eating disorder and work on those issues.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)- Is often used with those who have self-harm behaviors. It focuses on validating behaviors and responses that are understandable in relation to life and working on conscious efforts to change those that have a negative impact.
Family Therapy- Is especially important for adolescents because the eating disorder behavior affects the entire family. This therapy focuses on sharing of information about eating disorder, advice on behavioral management and facilitating communication between family members.

Nutritional Counseling focuses on health rather than weight. A nutritionist or dietician can help those with eating disorders to understand adequate nutritional needs and to change eating behaviors. Dietary counseling may involve having the person keep a food diary to facilitate a return to normal dietary intake or to become aware of triggers for bingeing.

Medical Treatment involves careful monitoring of the person with an eating disorder, such as weight, fluid and electrolyte balance, cardiac status, growth and development (such as bone growth) and vital signs. It may involve intravenous fluids or in very serious cases, feeding against the will of the person.

Pharmacology, especially for those with bulimia, may be helpful. This usually consists of an antidepressant medication, but may be other types of medications as well, such as vitamin and mineral supplements. Antidepressants are not often used in those with anorexia because there may be cardiac side effects.

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Duration of Illness/Mortality:

• 77% report duration from one to fifteen years

• 30% report duration from one to five years

• 31% report duration from six to ten years

• 16% report duration from eleven to fifteen years

• It is estimated that six percent of serious cases die

Read about a new type of eating disorders treatment - The Maudsley Approach.

Equine therapy has been used for years as part of behavioral treatments for troubled and at-risk adolescents. But more recently, it's also been used to help teens struggling with eating disorders.