Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder are names given to maladaptive behaviors in which food and the intake of food are used as a means for self-regulation and internal control. Eating disorders affect both males and females and are complex -- often confusing -- conditions brought on by a combination of psychological, genetic, environmental, and cultural factors.
Signs and Symptoms
That You May Be Struggling
With an Eating Disorder
- Intense fear of gaining weight and becoming fat
- Maintaining weight loss below 85% of that expected for age and height and not seeing it as a problem
- Loss of menstrual periods not due to other medical conditions
- Depression, irritability, social withdrawal in tandem with food restriction or purging
- Compulsive recurrent binge eating (consuming large quantities of food within a concentrated time period), together with feeling a lack of control during the episodes
- Recurrent behaviors to compensate for recent food intake or to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas; fasting; excessive exercise
- Self-evaluation unduly influenced by body shape and weight
Eating Disorder Treatment Solutions
Eating Disorders are no one’s fault, but trained professional intervention is critical to your mental health and survival if you are to overcome Anorexia Nervosa, Bulima Nervosa, or Binge Eating Disorder.
Helena has treated adolescents and adults struggling with eating disorders in both inpatient and outpatient settings for the past 9 years. In her experience, recovery requires a treatment team approach. Therefore, her therapy with you will involve working collaboratively with a trusted physician, registered dietitian, and psychiatrist. (If the patient is a teen or pre-teen, there will also be a family therapy component.)
When you come to counseling, you will not be asked to give up your eating disorder. That would be an unrealistic request until you have learned healthier ways of coping with powerful emotions, and until you discover alternate ways to feel accomplished and validated. But you will be asked to invest your time and your commitment in a team approach to recovery, and to be patient with yourself and the process.
To begin your journey toward recovery,