Eating disorders are commonly and understandably connected to celebrity culture and Hollywood. Zayn Malik, Demi Lovato, Lily Collins, Elton John, Kesha, Jane Fonda, Russell Brand, Zoe Kravitz, Shawn Johnson, and Hilary Duff are only a small portion of the many stars who has spoken out about their fight against anorexia or bulimia. But the problem is not limited to the rich and famous. About 30 million people struggle with disordered eating habits while negative emotions about their body’s weight and size overwhelm them.
While some people may think of anorexia and bulimia as a typical, picky phase that teens experience and then grow out of, this misunderstanding far underestimates the seriousness of these life-threatening disorders. Anorexia has earned the highest death rates of any psychiatric disorder, and both come with the increased risk of severe health problems.
While there are effective treatments available, only about 10 percent of bulimics and anorexics receive the interventions they need. Medical, nutrition, and mental health professionals can individualize treatment for each unique person’s needs. The first step to receiving treatment is usually understanding the disorder and seeking professional help.
Thriveworks Georgetown gets that reaching out for professional help takes courages, and we are ready to give holistic and personal care that address both the medical and psychological challenges of anorexia and bulimia.
How Do Anorexia and Bulimia Form?
The specifics of where, when, and how bulimia or anorexia form in an individual are often intimate and personal. And yet, therapists can speak generally about their causes and often divide their causes into two categories: biological and environmental.
- Nutritional deficiencies, irregular hormone functions, and genetics are biological factors.
- A culture consumed with thinness, body type, and impossible concepts of beauty; peer pressure to appear a certain way; and childhood abuse or trauma are examples of environmental factors.
Diagnosing Anorexia and Bulimia
Anorexia and bulimia might be the most well known of the many kinds of eating disorders. They are separate diagnoses and each have their own symptoms and signs.
Anorexia nervosa is most commonly known as anorexia and is diagnosed with the criteria that follows, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5):
- Severely limiting food consumption so that the body receives less than it needs (as based upon development, weight, sex, age, sex, and physical health), in order to achieve a significantly lower body weight.
- Dread of weight gain or being fat; impulsive behaviors that hinder weight gain.
- Distorted self-perception so that body shape and weight are regarded as heavier and larger than reality.
Bulimia nervosa is most commonly known as bulimia and is diagnosed with the criteria that follows, according to the DSM-5:
- Repeatedly binge eating that includes
- Losing control over food consumption
- Eating, during a binge, food that is clearly more than most people would eat under the same circumstances and during the same period of time.
- Attempt to prevent weight gain through repeated, compensatory behaviors such as excessive use of diuretics or laxatives; self-induced vomiting; fasting for too long or too often; or exercising excessively.
- A self-perception that is monopolized by body shape and weight.
Even though they are separate disorders, bulimia and anorexia also share many similarities. Both men and women can be afflicted by them, and they often are accompanied by anxiety disorders or depression. People of all ages can develop an eating disorder, but it usually surfaces during during adolescence.
Anorexia and bulimia can also cause severe health challenges.
Anorexia is associated with risk of heart disease and failure, low blood pressure, abnormal heart beat, low heart rate, low white blood cells, disrupted menstrual cycles, infertility, a disturbed endocrine system, premature osteoporosis, anemia, and kidney damage.
Bulimia is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, ulcers, tooth decay, gastric rupture, electrolyte imbalance, kidney damage, constipation, and heart failure.
Counseling for Bulimia or Anorexia
Did any of the diagnostics for bulimia or anorexia look familiar to you? If you or someone you love exhibits these behaviors, know that effective treatments are available. Thriveworks Georgetown offers holistic counseling that addresses the psychological causes of anorexia and bulimia, and we can tailor a holistic treatment plan for each, individual client.
We understand that scheduling therapy can be intimidating, so we have done our best to make the process as painless as possible. When you call Thriveworks Georgetown, a person will be able to help schedule your counseling and answer any questions you may have. We offer convenient weekend and evening appointments, and we work with most insurance providers. Most first-time clients see their counselor within 24 hours, and we do not put our clients on a waitlist.
Holistic care is available for bulimia and anorexia. Call Thriveworks Georgetown to get started.
