Eating Disorders Explained
Eating disorders are recognized by medical professionals, and specifically the mental health professionals, as a wide range of irregular eating behaviors that include anorexia nervosa – a form of self-starvation, and bulimia nervosa – binging and purging.
There is also something called disordered eating, which is can include behaviors which reflect many – but not all – of the symptoms of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). That is, there are other types of recognized eating disorders diagnosis that don’t necessarily “look like” the usual suspects (anorexia and/or bulimia). Rehab for an eating disorder exists for those struggling with some form of disordered eating and can help you recover.
Rehab for an Eating Disorder: How It Applies to Other Addictions
Eating disorders are comparable to chemical addiction, but in a way are more difficult to recover from because, at least with drug addiction treatment, you learn how to avoid the substance or substances in question forever. When it comes to eating disorders, however, this isn’t a possibility – we must eat to live. And for those who struggle with an eating disorder, something as simple as mealtime can be a trigger for relapse – whether it’s overindulging, or binging, for those who struggle with overeating, or if it’s more to do with food-restriction, for those with eating disorders on the other end of the spectrum, such as anorexia and bulimia.
Rehab for an Eating Disorder: Men Struggle, Too
Experts agree that the medical community needs to recognize that eating disorders in men exist. That is, despite what conventional thinking says, it’s a problem that not only affects women; it affects men, too. The fact is men can experience an ongoing battle with their body image, leading to the development of an eating disorder.
According to the National Eating Disorders Collaboration:
- Up to 25% of eating disorder sufferers are male
- Males are typically at risk for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in their late teens and early twenties
- Males are typically at risk for binge eating disorders in their late twenties
Eating Disorder Warning Signs in Men
According to The National Eating Disorders Collaboration, here are the warning signs:
- Obsession with bodybuilding and weight-lifting; even lifting when injured
- Adrenal fatigue brought on by over training
- Low testosterone
- Disinterest in intimacy and/or sex
- Use of anabolic steroids, cutting aids, diuretics, and pre-workout energy supplements
Rehab for an Eating Disorder: Similar to Drug Rehab
New research suggests that many of the same techniques used in substance abuse and addiction treatment, such as those used in rehab for an eating disorder (i.e. family-based treatment and cognitive-behavioral therapy), are useful for the treatment of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can provide relief for those who are suffer from an eating disorder not otherwise specified, too.
Rehab for an Eating Disorder: What to Expect
Rehab for an eating disorder lasts for about 30 days and is a program where all of your needs will be provided for while you participate in individual and group therapy sessions to learn about yourself and your eating disorder. Sometimes, rehab for an eating disorder may involve an extended program lasting anywhere from 3 months to a year; this part of the program of rehab for an eating disorder involves Intensive Outpatient Program – day-time individual and group therapy, while you begin to integrate back into society by returning to work or finding work, and so on.
This extended program is offered and is a good idea to complete because disordered eating is just like any addiction in that it is a chronic, progressive, relapsing disorder. Therefore, short-term, one-time treatment is usually not the most effective. For many, rehab for an eating disorder that is long-term and that offers multiple interventions and regular monitoring is the best approach.
The Purpose of Rehab for an Eating Disorder
The purpose of programs for Rehab for an Eating Disorder is to help you learn healthy coping methods for life’s stresses so that you do not return to your previous ways of restrictive eating or overeating. This way you can begin to lead a happy and productive life without the need to control your eating or without feeling out of control. You will learn coping methods to deal with life’s stresses in a healthy way while increasing your quality of life with a program of recovery.
If you notice that you are experiencing obsessive thinking and specific compulsions surrounding food and eating, this is indication that you have an unhealthy relationship with food. You might have an eating disorder. Help is available. There are programs of rehab for an eating disorder to treat your disordered eating. Please call toll-free at 1-800-951-6135 to speak with an Addiction Specialist who can answer your questions.