Mental Health Clinic For Eating Disorders

For a number of years, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa were thought to be diseases surrounding self-image problems. However, in recent mental health findings, it has been determined that there are a number of mental health issues surrounding these disorders including anxiety problems, control issues, and low self-esteem that find themselves manifested in an intense fear of food and weight gain. The underlying issues that the patient experiences cause them to starve themselves, as with Anorexia, or binge and purge though vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives, as with Bulimia. Whether a person suffers from Bulimia or Anorexia, treatment is imperative. Loved ones often watch sufferers of these eating disorders waste away both physically and emotionally. Several mental health clinics around the nation offer specialized care for eating disorder patients depending on the progression of the disorder. For clients who are able to function at a higher level of control and manage themselves fairly well in the community, outpatient programs offered by many mental health clinics may be more beneficial. While receiving individual, group, and family counseling, they also receive nutritional counseling and their families participate in educational classes about the disorder. Some outpatient programs are day treatment programs that run eight to ten hours a day with the patient able to go home at night. Other programs are just evening therapy and educational sessions where the patient spends most of their day performing routine activities like work and school. There are some clients, however, that require more intense treatment, because they cannot function in the community. The in-patient programs in most mental health clinics often admit patients that, if they do not address their problems, will end up severely ill or even die. It is not uncommon to see some of these patients with feeding tubes and IV's. They are monitored closely by trained staff to make sure they eat, do not purge, and maintain a nutritional diet. Goals are set daily for eating and addressing issues. If you suspect that someone you care about suffers from an eating disorder, don't wait around for someone to address it. Start now. And know that there are mental health clinics out there that offer effective programs for treating the underlying causes of an eating disorder. For more information, you can contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237 or go to www.nationaleatingdisorders.com to find out more.

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