According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), eating disorders affect at least nine percent of the population worldwide. Fortunately, therapy for eating disorders has come a long way, with a variety of proven approaches for specific disorders. If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder, read on to find out more about the latest treatments.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is an action-based approach. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), ACT patients are “taught to identify core values and commit to creating goals that fulfill these values.” Ultimately, ACT therapy is meant to help patients detach themselves from negative emotions – feelings of inadequacy or anxiety, for example – while altering their actions to work toward a healthier future. ACT therapy isn’t meant to eliminate a patient’s negative emotions; rather, the focus lies in living an authentic life with healthier habits.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a popular therapeutic approach for a variety of mental illnesses. CBT for eating disorders is a symptom-oriented approach that, per NEDA, focuses on the “beliefs, values, and cognitive processes that maintain the eating disorder behavior.” Ideally, this type of therapy aims to change the client’s views around weight, appearance, and food with a cognitive approach.
Unlike CBT, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) focuses on specific traumatic events in a person’s life that may contribute to eating disorder behaviors. While CPT is often used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the National Institutes of Health explain that PTSD and eating disorders share similar features that include “dissociation, impulsive behavior, and cognitive disturbances.” For this reason, eating disorder sufferers may benefit from treating thought patterns surrounding one or more traumatic events.
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is similar to cognitive behavioral therapy. This behavior-focused technique is a popular treatment for bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa. DBT takes a more targeted approach than cognitive behavioral therapy, with four very specific treatment goals: building mindfulness skills, boosting interpersonal relationship skills, promoting emotional regulation, and increasing distress tolerance. DBT was initially developed to treat borderline personality disorder; however, it has proven to be an effective treatment for both substance abuse disorders and eating disorders.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is specifically used as a treatment for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Where treatments like DBT and CBT might contextualize eating disorder symptoms using a personalized, cognitive approach, IPT takes a more social and interpersonal approach. This kind of therapy helps support clients undergoing major life changes, which can trigger eating disorder behaviors. IPT also helps clients work through relationship problems to reduce overall stress. IPT focuses on four specific problem areas: grief, interpersonal role disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits, the latter referring to trouble developing and maintaining relationships. As outlined in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy healthy relationships are directly linked with eating disorder symptom reduction. There are several specific ways that this can be accomplished.
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Each of these types of therapy can be tailored depending on the client’s needs. Ultimately, therapy for eating disorders is a highly personal, holistic necessity to ensure clients have the skills to live healthier lives.
Reed Behavioral Health offers highly individualized solutions for individuals and families who have been impacted by behavioral health problems, including eating disorders. Our approach is different. It starts with a comprehensive and individualized assessment process so we can determine how to best help you. For more information, please call us at 763-577-2489, email us at info@reedhealthcare.org, or send us a message online. We look forward to working with you!
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