Eating Disorders

What is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses with physical manifestations. They are considered to be behavioral conditions characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological, and social function. Types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorder, pica and rumination disorder.

What causes an Eating Disorder?

A variety of factors can contribute to the development of an eating disorder, including genetics and mental health as well as cultural factors. Eating disorders are often associated with preoccupations with food, weight or shape or with anxiety about eating or the consequences of eating certain foods. Behaviors associated with eating disorders include restrictive eating or avoidance of certain foods, binge eating, purging by vomiting or laxative misuse or compulsive exercise.

Eating disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders, most commonly mood and anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and alcohol and substance use disorders. Evidence suggests that genes and heritability play a part in why some people are at higher risk, but these disorders can also afflict those with no family history of the condition.

Who do Eating Disorders affect?

Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, classes, abilities, races and ethnic backgrounds. These complex disorders are serious, biologically influenced illnesses, not personal choices. Recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Approximately 1 million Canadians have a diagnosis of an eating disorder, such as Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED), Avoidance Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Otherwise Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED).

How are Eating Disorders Treated?

Getting a diagnosis is only the first step towards recovery. Treating an eating disorder generally involves a combination of psychological and nutritional counseling, along with medical and psychiatric monitoring. Treatment must address the eating disorder symptoms and medical consequences, as well as psychological, biological, interpersonal, and cultural forces that contribute to or maintain the eating disorder.

Ambivalence towards treatment, denial of a problem with eating and weight, or anxiety about changing eating patterns is not uncommon. With proper medical care, however, those with eating disorders can resume healthy eating habits, and recover their emotional and psychological health.

Eating Disorders Program at Lotus

The Eating Disorders Program treats individuals suffering from an eating disorder who can make independent change to their eating, activity and eating symptoms. You will receive support and guidance, but you must believe you can make changes without supervision to succeed in an outpatient setting. You must be aged 16 or over to participate in this program.

A thorough assessment is conducted to ensure attention to:

• Your specific eating disorder symptoms
• Other psychiatric problems that may make recovery more difficult
• Your eating and activity patterns
• Your physical well-being
• Life circumstances in which you find yourself

The information obtained in the assessment helps us work more effectively with you and tailor our treatment recommendations to your specific needs. Our CBT-based therapy takes you through the steps necessary to overcome the symptoms of your eating disorder, helping you change the thoughts and behaviours that are part of an eating disorder, set goals, normalize your eating and activity, and identify and manage triggers.

Eating Disorder Treatment Phases

• First phase is assessment and considering what is maintaining the eating disorder (history, onset, current contributing factors). This phase also includes psychoeducation on weight science and weight regulation.
• Second phase focuses on current diet and lifestyle (daily intake and activity) and symptom interruption, as well as working towards normalizing eating and activity.
• Third phase is to identify practical, emotional and interpersonal triggers for disordered eating and learning strategies for managing them.
• Recovery maintenance and relapse prevention is a key aspect of therapy, for individuals completing therapy and for those transitioning from an inpatient or residential program to outpatient care.

This part of the therapeutic process includes creating a plan for coping with relapse and everyday challenges as you reintegrate into life after eating disorder treatment. This includes:

• Harnessing areas of strength and support
• Identifying potential triggers
• Creating support systems and connecting with other helpful resources
• How to implement the skills and strategies learned in treatment to stay on track.