Ellen is young and talented and smart. She is also very sick. What many would consider her best years—her young 20s—have been stolen by an eating disorder. Instead of partying with her friends and pursuing her studies, Ellen has moved home to begin treatment for anorexia. The movie, To the Bone, chronicles her story, and while her journey if fiction, her fight is very real for many people. About 30 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, or another form of an eating disorder.
Author Aimee Liu pinpoints many of the factors that can lead to an eating disorder. For some, they are genetically predisposed to anorexia or bulimia. For others, the cultural stress bears down upon them. For some, childhood trauma or family stress can lead to harmful coping mechanisms. For many, all three factors are in play. Eating disorders affect every aspect of people’s being—their mind, soul, and body. Such a serious illness requires serious treatment, and effective interventions are available. Mental health professionals often work with nutritionists and physicians to offer clients the holistic care they need. And yet, only about 10 percent of people who struggle with an eating disorder receive the care they need.
At Thriveworks Oklahoma City, we understand that it can be difficult to acknowledge a problem like an eating disorder. We also understanding that many people need support as they heal and work toward a healthy relationship with their own bodies. Our therapists and counselors have offered that help to many clients.
Potential Medical Complications of Eating Disorders
One of the cultural forces that may open the door for an eating disorder to develop is an obsession with being skinny and thin. Somehow, being slim has become synonymous with being healthy, but the reality is that having a low body weight may pose serious health risks. Bulimia and anorexia are examples of how pursuing a thin body can lead to serious medical complications.
Anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder. Other medical complications from this illness include infertility, low blood pressure, menstrual cycle disruptions, heart failure, kidney damage, low white blood cells, endocrine disruptions, abnormal heartbeat, premature osteoporosis, low heart rate, anemia, and death.
Bulimia also comes with potential and severe medical complications, including gastric rupture, tooth decay, electrolyte imbalance, gastroesophageal reflux disease, kidney damage, ulcers, and heart failure.
One key to fighting eating disorders may be early intervention and treatment. When people recognize the early signs of an eating disorder and take action, they may be able to offset many of the medical complications before they develop.
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
While eating disorders come in a variety of forms, bulimia and anorexia are often the eating disorders that receive the most attention. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) gives detailed diagnostics for identifying them.
Anorexia nervosa’s diagnostics include:
- A false self-image that sees one’s body as heavier and larger than it really is—an inability to perceive oneself as one truly is.
- Experiencing disgust at one’s own body, in particular its size, weight, and shape.
- An acute and debilitating fear of gaining weight or being fear that results in actions to sabotage a healthy weight maintenance.
- Severely limiting the food that one consumes so that a severely low body weight is achieved and maintained (as compared to healthy ranges for one’s age, development, sex, and physical health).
Bulimia nervosa’s diagnostics include:
- Repetitive incidents of binge eating that involve…
- The inability to regulate how much food is consumed in a particular time period.
- Eating more food during that particular time period than others would or could during the same circumstances.
- Attempting to offset food binges through unhealthy means such as a misuse of medications like laxatives and diuretics, extreme and excessive exercise, frequent fasting, and self-induced vomiting.
- A self-perception that is overpowered by body image. People often perceive themselves as simply their body instead of accounting for other parts of their identity such as their skills, experiences, personality, and intelligence.
Scheduling Treatment for Eating Disorders at Thriveworks Oklahoma City, CA
Did you recognize any of the signs or symptoms of an eating disorder within your own life? If you did, know that you are not alone. Know that effective treatments are available. The counselors and therapists at Thriveworks Oklahoma City offer a variety of options for holistic treatment. We understand the physical and psychological risks that eating disorders can pose, and we offer each client holistic and individualized care.
We want each of our clients to feel supported, even from the first time they call our office. When you contact Thriveworks Oklahoma City, you can expect…
- Our scheduling specialists will answer and help you make an appointment.
- If you need an evening or weekend appointment, we offer them. We understand that not everyone can make a session during business hours.
- We accept many forms of insurance.
- New clients often have their first appointment within 24 hours of their call to our office. If you are ready to get started, we are too.
- We do not keep a waitlist, so you will never be put on one.
Let’s work together. Call Thriveworks Oklahoma City today.
