Eating disorders have increased significantly in the past two years. According to Alsana, a national eating disorder recovery program with locations in St. Louis, there are more treatment options available and more access to care than ever before.
In the United States alone, at least one person dies every 52 minutes as a direct result of an eating disorder¹. People of all backgrounds, body types, and ages struggle with eating disorders, including children as young as age 5.
Eating disorders can be challenging to diagnose, especially considering the pervasiveness of diet culture, which glorifies dangerous behaviors, such as dieting, purging, and compulsive exercise as healthy and praise-worthy. But there’s good news: Full recovery from eating disorders is not only possible but probable with early detection and intervention.
One potential solution is an approach that treats the whole person, such as The Adaptive Care Model at Alsana, which meets clients where they are in recovery. The program is based on five core areas:
1. Medical
- Individuals with eating disorders require different levels of medical stabilization and monitoring.
- Medical treatment provides the physical foundation for recovery and is most successful when providers work closely with other members of clients’ care teams.
2. Nutritional
- Some people with eating disorders come from homes where food was abundant, while others have experienced food insecurity. People of any background can struggle to maintain trusting relationships with food and their bodies.
- Individuals with eating disorders generally must “relearn” what it means to eat well, with a greater focus on understanding what motivates food choices and removing moral judgments from food.
- Food is more than physical nourishment; individuals in recovery must learn to give themselves permission to eat simply for enjoyment and to honor all hunger types.
3. Relational
- A person’s relationship with food impacts their relationships with everything and everyone, including themselves, their religion or spiritual practices, and their communities.
- Individuals with eating disorders tend to struggle with a self-compassion deficit, an experience that can contribute to shame, isolation, and the inability to maintain healthy relationships.
- Because eating disorders thrive in isolation, individuals must grow relationally to heal and maintain recovery after treatment.
4. Therapeutic
- It is important for individuals with eating disorders and their loved ones to understand the cultural, biological, neurological, and other factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders.
- Therapeutic care helps individuals connect with the “why” of their eating disorder, so they can begin to untangle unhealthy beliefs and biases.
- Compassionate therapeutic caregivers support individuals in learning emotional regulation, self-compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness. These skills remain important after treatment, as they can help diffuse triggers and prevent relapse.
5. Movement
- Exercise poses unique risks for individuals with eating disorders (but the same is true for other things, such as relationships and mealtimes). As with all things, movement during recovery must be mindful, and motivations to exercise must be examined closely.
- Exercise is not mandatory, nor is it appropriate for all individuals with eating disorders. It can, however, be tremendously healing for some (with proper guidance) and is effective in managing symptoms associated with other mental health conditions (such as anxiety and depression) that commonly occur with eating disorders.
“Treatment outcome studies confirm the effectiveness of this holistic approach to eating disorder care,” says Rebekah Freese, MSW, LCSW, Ph.D, senior regional executive director of Alsana St. Louis, a residential eating recovery community that serves adults of all genders. “Our innovative treatment model results in better quality of life, healthier relationships, and hope for lasting recovery, which is encouraging for everyone involved.”
This post was created by SLM Partner Studio on behalf of Alsana. To learn more about this eating recovery community, visit alsana.com/stlouis.
