The initial treatment for someone with an eating disorder is very similar for everyone. It focuses specifically on normalizing eating patterns, stabilizing nutrition and promoting medical stability.
After that first step, all aspects of recovery are very much individualized based on many factors, for example, personality, age, length of illness and need for personal growth. A cookie-cutter approach to treatment after the first stage tends to be ineffective and certainly doesn’t lead to long lasting wellness.
IndividualIzed treatment needs to take into account an individual’s preferences and also the issues that are exposed by regular eating patterns. The range of issues is very broad. For some people, depression, anxiety and hopelessness are central. For others, the prospect of living an adult life is terrifying. Sometimes traumatic experiences surface, or instead the focus could solely be on personal and emotional growth.
Due the the myriad needs of someone seeking help for an eating disorder, the clinician and team need to view each person as an individual. Flexibility is a key to overall effective support rather than dogmatic rigidity. Most eating disorders already function on rules and inflexibility so recovery needs to present a different model for life.
There are two key points to note. The first is that it can be challenging to differentiate the desire for flexibility from the eating disorder thoughts attempting to sabotage recovery so joint attention by the team and patient is necessary to avoid this pitfall. Second, patients need to be sure the clinicians they see approach sessions in a way that feels real and genuine for them. If the conversations seem forced or phony, then treatment is not likely to help someone reengage in the world.
Paying attention to instincts about personal connection will go a long way to ensure treatment is successful and is right for the individual.
If only it were so simple to worm
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