Get Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder. Someone who suffers with bulimia struggles with episodes of binge eating, or the consumption of a large amount of food in a single sitting. In this post we will review some treatment options for bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia Nervosa Treatment Options

If you suspect that you or someone you love is suffering from bulimia nervosa, it is critical to find a professional who can help you get treatment. This process can be very frightening for you or your loved one, especially when you begin to open up about behaviors and ways of thinking you've hidden from everyone around you for so long.

But getting treatment for bulimia nervosa is critical for you to turn the page on this difficult eating disorder. The first step is admitting that you are worthy of being happy, healthy, and having a fulfilling life.

Bulimia treatment can take on many forms depending on the level of need. The level of treatment from most intense to least intense is as follows: Residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, or a less intensive outpatient method. Regardless of which level you need, you should speak to a licensed psychologist to discuss your needs and placement. A psychologist will also go over the main goal of treatment, which is to break the binge and purge pattern and to restore a healthy relationship to your mind, body, and to food.

Here are some types of treatment you'll receive:

Psychotherapy Treatment

Psychotherapy is the most common and effective type of treatment for bulimia nervosa. Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy or psychological counseling, takes on many different forms depending on what the individual needs. A few common psychotherapy options include:

• Behavioral Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Family-based Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Talk Therapy
• Psychotropic Medication

Individual therapy helps a person with bulimia talk their way through problems and helps them develop coping mechanisms.

Family therapy, on the other hand, has two goals: First, family therapy helps families address problems related to their loved-ones eating disorder itself, which includes:

• Spotting the eating disorder, preventing it, and addressing it
• Learning how to show support to an individual trying to regain control of a normal eating pattern
• Helping the family deal with common problems that arise from their loved one's eating disorder, including their development and the impact it has on family relationships.

Next, family therapy is a great tool to help families address relationship problems and also address issues in the family that may be making the eating disorder worse.

Medication Treatment

Medications are sometimes prescribed alongside psychotherapy because bulimia is often combined with mental disorders. Medications are not intended to act as a magical band-aid that instantly cures your loved one's eating disorder. Instead, medications are intended to create support that helps the individual cope with the difficult situations they are going through.

I urge you to examine all options before trying medications. Some people meet the diagnostic criteria for depression or anxiety disorders but can cope with symptoms without medication after they have their eating disorder under control.

Get Help with Bulimia Nervosa

By reading this post, you're already on the right track. Your next step is to get bulimia nervosa treatment help from a licensed psychologist. You deserve to live a life that's not held back by your disorder. There is hope for a better future!

Dr. Amy Boyers is a licensed psychologist and has been in private practice in South Miami since 2001. She provides therapy to adolescents and adults, with a focus on women’s health, eating disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, & behavioral medicine.