8 Possible Anorexia Treatment Modalities

Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by a distorted body image and intense fear of gaining weight, that causes you to limit your calorie intake, and the types of foods you eat, and to engage in additional weight-loss behaviors such as compulsive exercise, purging through self-induced vomiting, or the misuse of laxatives. However, several anorexia treatment options are available.

Because of the nature of the disorder, anorexia treatment needs to address physical problems as well as psychological ones and typically involves a combination of psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and supervised weight gain. Its biggest challenge is getting a person to recognize and accept that he or she has a serious illness that, left untreated, can lead to malnutrition, starvation, and even death.

The ultimate goal of anorexia treatment is to stabilize your physical condition, equip you with healthy coping strategies, and help you develop proper nutritional skills so you can regain and maintain a normal weight.

Anorexia treatment modalities

There are several evidence-based treatment modalities for treating anorexia that you can choose from. The following are some of the most common ones.

Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E)

Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy is a modified form of cognitive behavior therapy that is used for treating eating disorders. It is considered to be a first-line, gold-standard option for the treatment of anorexia.

CBT-E focuses on helping you understand how thoughts influence behavior, and on teaching you how to recognize and address distorted thoughts and beliefs about weight and appearance that are at the root of your disorder and driving your behavior, so you can modify it by changing the way you think.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

The goal of acceptance and commitment therapy is to motivate you to change your behavior rather than be wrapped up in your thoughts and feelings. The focus is on teaching you practical strategies for accepting and tolerating distressing emotions rather than acting on them or rationalizing your way out of them, as well as helping you explore what is important to you and focus on living a life that is in line with your values.

Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT)

Cognitive remediation therapy is an offshoot of cognitive behavioral therapy that consists of mental exercises to help improve thinking skills and cognitive deficits, as well as strengthen and sharpen neural pathways in the brain.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy is focused on helping you recognize and address your triggers and equipping you with practical strategies for handling stress and managing your emotions in healthy ways.

Family-based therapy (FBT)

Family-based therapy, also known as the Maudsley method, is the most empirically supported intervention for physiologically restoring the health of children and adolescents with anorexia. It integrates techniques from various approaches and is focused on empowering parents, with the support of other family members such as siblings, to help their child overcome a disorder that is beyond his or her control.

Parents are put in charge of renourishing their child and restoring him or her to wellness and a normal weight through appropriate nutritional intake until the child is ready to make healthy choices for him or herself and do it on their own.

Specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM)

Specialist supportive clinical management focuses on improving the symptoms of anorexia by promoting weight gain through the resumption of eating, as well as providing supportive therapy techniques that guide you in meeting your own treatment goals. It is a more flexible treatment modality than many of the other anorexia treatment approaches in that instead of centering on the symptoms of the disease, it helps you improve your quality of life and enjoyment of it alongside them.

Focal psychodynamic therapy

Focal psychodynamic therapy is an alternate treatment modality that can be used if you do not feel any of the other options are right for you, or if you have tried them and they did not work. Its focus is on helping you understand how your eating habits relate to your thoughts and feelings about yourself and the other people in your life.

Nutritional support

Nutritional support is a required treatment component that is offered in addition to your regular therapy sessions. It involves meeting with a nutritional specialist who will give you dietary advice, instruct you on the importance of proper nutrition and the effects of starvation on the body, and help you set up a meal plan that will enable you to reach a healthy weight. It also includes regular check-ins to monitor your progress.

If you are struggling with anorexia and would like to set up a risk-free appointment to meet with one of the Christian counselors in McKinney, Texas, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at McKinney Christian Counseling in Texas.