Eating Disorders Intervention
Find Help- Bulemia, Anorexia and other Eating Disorders
Best estimates suggest that one in every one hundred young women in this country has bulimia and a somewhat lesser number suffer from anorexia. Only about ten percent of those with eating disorders are male, but the number is growing.
Warning signs may include:
- obsession with food and body weight
- obsessing over calories (consumed and/or burned)
- bingeing and purging
- eating compulsively, overeating, eating when not hungry, constant nibbling
- exercising excessively, continual dieting
- use of laxatives or fasting to control weight
- guilt, shame, hopelessness
- unrealistic body image
- secretive eating, hiding food, discarding and then retrieving food
- eating habits and weight begin to concern other people
- stealing food
- eating differently in private than in public
- eating as an escape or coping mechanism
- believing that losing weight will make life better
With eating disorders, food is merely the ‘vehicle’. Food is an escape mechanism. The goal is the pleasure/reward response. Although there is a difference between bulimia and anorexia, there is a similar process in the dopamine response in the brain. With bulimia, there is a chemical experience during purging as well. The seriousness of the situation cannot be overstated. Anorexia has one of the highest rates of mortality of any psychiatric condition, an estimated thirteen-percent per annum. It can result in gastrointestinal problems, heart and kidney problems, and infertility. Interventionist Jeff Holbrook, through interviews with friends and family members, is ableto determine if there are co-occurring disorders, multiple addictions or behavioral health concerns and to recommend a treatment facility or program to address those needs.