Eating Disorders 101
Encounter Counseling Center is excited to offer out patient eating disorder recovery treatment counseling services. This is very exciting as the Grand Valley does not have very many eating disorder treatment providers. I am thrilled to be able to serve the community in this way.
Today I want to provide the basics regarding types of eating disorders, overall symptoms, treatment and how everyone can be an advocate against the fatphobia and thin ideal.
Statistics & Facts
Eating disorders affect 30 million people today in the the United States.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness.
Every 62 minutes someone dies from an eating disorder.
Diets are the gateway drug into an eating disorder.
Types of Eating Disorders
There are several diagnosable eating disorders which means they have diagnostic criteria in the DSM 5 and essentially make the case treatment is needed and can be covered by insurance.
Anorexia
Bulimia
Binge Eating Disorder
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Of the 4 types of eating disorders, Binge Eating Disorder is the most common with 3.5% of women and 2% of men affected by the disorder during their lifetime. This is a larger percentage than those who have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer or HIV.
There are also several types of eating disorders that are not diagnosable according to the DSM 5, but are frequently treated in the eating disorder recovery including:
Orthorexia
Compulsive Exercise
Diabulima
Signs & Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Signs and symptoms of the various types of eating disorder include:
Frequent & chronic dieting
Extreme preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, carbohydrates and dieting
Withdrawal from friends, family and usual activities
Refusal to eat certain foods
Skipping meals
Cutting out foods or food groups
Extreme concern with body size and shape
Frequently checking in the mirror for body flaws
Missing periods
Often feeling dizzy and faint
Making frequent comments about feeling “fat”
Feeling cold all the time
Mood Swings
Feelings of disgust or guilt for overeating
Throwing up or using laxatives after eating
Extreme weight loss
Excessive food rituals
Difficulty concentrating
Treatment Options for Eating Disorders
There are a variety of ways to receive treatment from an eating disorder.
The two most common ways to treat an eating disorder is through outpatient treatment or residential inpatient treatment.
Outpatient treatment is traditional therapy occurring once or multiple times per week as needed by the client. Group therapy can also be an important part of outpatient treatment.
Residential inpatient treatment is when the patient lives for a span of time in a specific treatment facility and engages in varies therapeutic recovery modalities such as individual therapy, group therapy, art therapy, movement therapy and others.
**The closest inpatient treatment centers would d be in Denver or Salt Lake. Some of them include Eating Recovery Center or ED Care in Denver or Center for Change in Salt Lake. These are just a few options there are many others.
Typically eating disorders are addressed by a team of professionals that include a therapist, nutritionist, medical doctor and even a recovery coach. This ensures every aspect of the patient is taken care of at the highest quality of care.
Here at Encounter we offer outpatient counseling services for all types of eating disorders for individuals who are medically stable. Because there is a medical stability component to eating disorders patients must be assessed at the beginning of treatment to determine what level of care is needed.
There are several types of therapeutic treatment modalities that can be used for eating disorders. I use EMDR therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Group Therapy as well as the principles from Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size.
Culture & Body Image
Unfortunately, our culture negatively feeds eating disorders and body image problems because what is seen in the media is not reality.
67% of the women in the United States are plus-sized (size 12 or above) yet these bodies represent only 2% of the bodies seen in the media.
This is a major issue as a majority of the images we are seeing on social media, as well as TV and movies, are thin white women. Our culture has become obsessed with thinness and weight loss and it only adds to the growing issue of eating disorders, body image struggles and disordered eating behaviors.
Eating Disorders and body image issues trap individuals from living their best life and consume every ounce of energy possible. It can be exhausting to live with an eating disorder, but I am here to offer you hope!
You are amazing and you have the ability to heal and move on from any body image issues or eating disorders.
What you can do today!
Weed your feed. Clean up your Instagram and Facebook feed to feature body diversity. Unfollow accounts promoting weight loss or certain body types. Fill your feed with body diversity! Follow those associated with the #bodypositive movement or #fatactivism. You will be surprised at the number of accounts out there promoting and loving all bodies. Check out this post for a few of my favorite accounts.
Read and educate yourself on a new paradigm of health, eating, and body acceptance. The two primary book recommendations I have for anyone struggling with eating disorders, body image, or disordered eating are Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole and Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon. There are TONS more resources out there too! Go to this post to find out more about my favorite intuitive eating resources.
Ditch diet and body talk while in social situations. Change the conversation away from bodies, food and weight loss. As women especially we need to start having conversations that encourage one another.
Stop commenting on other people’s bodies. I have been thinking about this one a lot lately. When we tell someone they look so good because maybe they have lost weight we have no idea as the person who is commenting what types of behaviors it took for that person to loose weight. We could be encouraging an eating disorder or disordered eating behaviors. We can compliment each other on so many wonderful things about a person’s character or life we do not need to go into body talk.
Get Help
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder I want to personally encourage you to get help. Eating disorder recovery is not something you can DIY. The longer it goes on the harder it can be. You don’t have to be alone in your disorder. You can find freedom! Find a clinician who is safe and non-judgemental and is willing to walk with you during this extremely difficult time in your life.
An additional resource if you are needing immediate help is the National Eating Disorders helpline at 800-931-2237.
My goal is to help individuals find freedom in their bodies and with food! If you are wondering if therapy or our groups might be a good fit for you call us or email us and we would be happy to chat with you!
In Body Liberation,
Chelsea
Sources:
https://anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/
Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.