Eating Disorders in Pasadena, CA—Therapy and Counseling

Ellen has recently moved home. She is young and intelligent and artistic. Ellen should be out partying with friends or studying for her next exam, but instead, she is fighting anorexia. The Netflix movie, To the Bone, shows the lows and highs of recovering from an eating disorder, and it portrays a reality that as many as 30 million people in the United States face: being diagnosed with and battling against an eating disorder. Even To the Bone’s lead actress, Lily Collins, spoke out publicly about her very real fight against anorexia.

“Girls developed eating disorders when our culture developed a standard of beauty that they couldn’t obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin.” —Mary Pipher

Eating disorders are mental illnesses that wage a multi-faceted war upon people’s well-beings. Mentally, emotionally, physically—there is no aspect of a person’s being that is not under attack when an eating disorder develops. Such a severe illness often requires a multi-faceted approach to treatment. Physicians, nutritionists, and therapists often need to combine their expertise to formulate a holistic treatment plan that meets each individual’s needs. And yet, only about 10 percent of people who are fighting an eating disorder receive the professional care they need, and many forms of care are available.

Thriveworks Pasadena understands the ways that eating disorders can disrupt an individual’s physical and emotional well-being. We also understand what it takes to heal from bulimia, anorexia, and other forms of eating disorders. If you are ready to reach out for treatment, we are ready to help.

Bulimia and Anorexia: Their Signs and Symptoms

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) gives the signs and symptoms of many eating disorders, but bulimia and anorexia may just be the most recognizable.

The DSM-5 outlines anorexia nervosa as:

• A self-perception that experiences one’s own body as larger and heavier than it is in reality.
• Feeling disgust at one’s own body, hating its weight, shape, and size.
• An intense and illogical fear of putting on weight or being fat. This fear drives actions that sabotage healthy weight maintenance and gain.
• Restricting how much food one eats so that a dangerously low body weight is reached (in comparison to standards for healthy body weight for one’s age, sex, development, and physical health).

The DSM-5 outlines bulimia nervosa as:

• Binge eating incidents that are repetitive and include…
• An inability to limit what and how much food one consumes.
• During the binge, eating more than most people would (or could) during the time period.
• Compensating for binges and attempting to lose weight through unhealthy means. These may include (but are not limited to) abusing medications like diuretics and laxatives, self-induced vomiting, fasting for too long or too often, and/or exercising in extreme and unreasonable ways.
• A self-perception that over-emphasizes one’s body shape and size while ignoring or minimizing one’s intellect, skills, experiences, and personality.

Treatments for an Eating Disorder

Each person who has an eating disorder will experience unique symptoms and the severity of those symptoms. It is often paramount that people work with mental health and physical health professionals who can develop treatment plans that address the specifics of their case. Examples of treatment plans may involve:

• Inpatient / Hospital Treatment gives 24 hour medical care to those who need it. The goal of this treatment is stabilizing individuals so that they can pursue other treatment options. This is often a short-term treatment that often last less than three weeks.
• Residential Eating Disorders Treatment involves moving into a treatment facility that is particularly designed to support those fighting an eating disorder. People can dedicate a specific amount of time to focus completely upon healing. All the care people need, physically and emotionally, are consolidated at the facilitated, and people’s daily schedule is designed to meet their needs.
• Outpatient Eating Disorders Treatment provides treatment that allows people to live in their own homes and continue their schedules (work, school, and more). Outpatient treatment may involve several appointments each week—with a counselor, physician, and/or nutritionist. The amount of appointments and the type of appointments can vary, depending upon an individual’s needs. Often, these professionals work together to coordinate care.
• Continuing Care when eating disorders are in remission, people often desire to have on-going care that may allow for further and deeper healing. This often involves on-going psychological care.

Setting Up Treatment for Eating Disorders at Thriveworks Pasadena, CA

Think for a moment about the signs and symptoms or anorexia and bulimia. Are you experiencing anything that you read about? If so, know that help is available. Effective treatment is available, and the mental health professionals at Thriveworks Pasadena are ready to help. We hope to provide each client the holistic care they need to heal from bulimia, anorexia, or any other eating disorder.

When you contact Thriveworks Pasadena, here are a few things that you can expect from our office: Your call will be answered by a real person. We do not have voicemail or an automated response system. Instead, our scheduling specialists will help you make an appointment. Many new clients have their first session within 24 hours of their call. We offer evening and weekend appointments, and we accept many forms of insurance.

Let’s work toward healing together. Call Thriveworks Pasadena today.