Eating Disorder prevalence

Marian Eberly, a counselor at an American eating disorder clinic, estimates that approximately 25% of all college-age women are actively involved in eating disorder behaviour. This means that these students are placing their physical health at risk in order to try and lose weight. Naturally this will have an adverse effect on their ability to perform academically and may have repercussions on their emotional and social well-being as well.

Eating Disorder Treatment in the West Midlands

Eating Disorder treatment in the West Midlands is very important because people suffering from an eating disorder are unlikely to be able to find recovery without external help. Anorexia, Bulimia, and binge-eating disorder are all examples of progressive illnesses which just get worse and worse if they are not treated. Of course if you're reading this website you probably already know this!

Process of Eating Disorder Treatment

Eating Disorder treatment in the West Midlands usually involves a dual approach to this illness. On one hand the very serious physical consequences of the Eating Disorder need to be addressed by a qualified team of doctors and nutritionists. Often people arriving in a treatment centre are severely underweight or experiencing health problems as a result of their eating disorder. Properly managing their physical health remains a priority throughout their stay in the eating disorder treatment centre.

Eating Disorders - a medical risk

The director of Psychological Services at a reputatable eating disorders treatment clinic, Dr David Wall, notes that : "The danger of not seeking help for an eating disorder can be very serious because they can cause many medical complications, even death ... eating disorders often take a turn for the worse due to increased personal and family stress. As eating disorders intensify, they become more difficult to treat."

Does stress cause Eating Disorders?

We're as yet uncertain of the exact causes of eating disorders but it's fairly certain that stress worsens an eating disorder. For many patients their disordered eating patterns represent an attempt to "cope" with life and so an increased amount of stress could push them to indulge even more in their eating disorders. They might even try more extreme behaviours in an attempt to deal with the increased stress. For somebody with an eating disorder their disordered eating patterns represent an attempt to regain a sense of control over their external world. They use their eating disorder to try and block out the problems of their life. Stress can increase their dependence on the dangerous behaviours of their eating disorder.

"What can I do to help my daughter if I think she has an Eating Disorder?" is a question that many mothers ask. They notice that their teenager is taking an obsessive interest in how much she is eating and is restricting her food intake quite severely, but simply don't know what to say or do.

Talk about Eating Disorders

The advice that many counselors would give is to try and discuss it with your daughter. See if she is open to having a talk about her food. You don't need to make it a complete eating disorder intervention but it is important to just voice your concerns about her eating. It's very difficult but crucially important for family members to be able to set aside their concerns and frustrations when having these chats. If your daughter feels judged or threatened you are not going to be likely to be able to make any headway in persuading her to go for treatment.

Find Eating Disorder Treatment

You're unlikely to be able to make any real difference in your first chat, but it will lay the foundation for future discussions. Of course this isn't a journey that you have to walk alone. You should find an Eating Disorder treatment center near you that will offer you help and assistance in planning a way forward.