Personalized Psychiatric Care for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can develop at any age, but they usually tend to occur during teenage years or young adulthood and are more common in women than men. While these disorders may seem to take over a person’s life, they are often treatable with the right approach and support.

• Common symptoms and behaviours of Anorexia include:
• Dramatic and sudden weight loss
• Excessive exercise
• Avoiding meals or eating in front of others
• Constantly obsessing over food, diet, and calorie intake
• Refusal to eat certain types of food, especially carbs or fats
• Wearing baggy clothes to conceal weight loss
• Denying that extreme thinness is a problem
• Menstrual suppression due to insufficient nutrition and extreme weight loss
• Complaints about stomach pain or constipation
• Passing remarks about ‘feeling fat or overweight’

Bulimia Nervosa

Commonly known as Bulimia, this condition is characterised by vicious cycles of binge eating followed by unhealthy purging activities to avoid weight gain.

During an episode of binge eating (i.e. consuming large amounts of food in one sitting), you may feel like you’ve lost complete control of yourself. Such an episode leaves you feeling overwhelmingly guilty and shameful. To compensate for the excessive eating and to shed the extra calories, they then resort to drastic measures such as overly intense exercise, vomiting, or misusing laxatives. This is called ‘purging’.

The tricky part about this condition is that those with Bulimia may appear to have a normal body weight which can make it harder for their friends and family to recognise this issue.

Common symptoms and behaviours of Bulimia include:

• Clear signs of binge eating, i.e. rapid consumption of large food portions in a short period, or several empty food bags and wrappers
• Clear evidence of purging, i.e. always going to the bathroom after meals, finding laxatives in medicine cabinets, and sounds and smells of vomiting
• Wearing baggy clothes to conceal the body size and frame
• Passing remarks about ‘feeling fat or overweight’
• Constant, incessant dieting or undereating
• Excessive exercise
• Avoiding meals or eating in front of others
• Excessive consumption of mouth fresheners and mouthwash

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Another prevalent Eating Disorder, Binge Eating Disorder (BED) involves recurrent episodes where large amounts of food are consumed quickly, often to the point of discomfort. After an episode, you might feel intense guilt and shame. Unlike Bulimia, however, people with BED do not undertake any purging activities to shed the extra calories.

Given there are no purging activities, you gain significant weight over time and consequently develop health problems associated with being overweight.

Common symptoms and behaviours of Binge Eating Disorder include:

• Clear signs of binge eating, i.e. disappearance of large food portions in a short period, or several empty food bags and wrappers
• Avoiding meals or eating in front of others
• Hoarding and hiding food in the most unusual places
• Always being on a diet but never losing weight

Psychological and Behavioural Factors 

Psychological and behavioural factors play a major role in the development of Eating Disorders. These include low self-esteem, Anxiety, Depression, perfectionism, and obsessive behaviours. Unrealistic societal standards, emotional trauma, or coping with stress can trigger disordered eating patterns.

Socio-Cultural Risk Factors

Constant societal pressures to conform to unrealistic and often unachievable body standards is another major factor that leads to Eating Disorders. These pressures are perpetuated via various sources – such as social media, bullying, and peer pressure and eventually break through a person’s mental barrier, causing them to look at themselves in a negative light and develop an Eating Disorder.

Physical Examinations

Our psychiatrist will assess your vitals, height, and nutrition, and order physical tests to examine or rule out other medical causes for your eating issues. 

Blood and Urine Tests 

Blood and urine tests give us an insight into your body’s internal health. It helps us rule out other medical causes that might be contributing to your eating problems. This way we can ensure that your eating problems are not physical, but a manifestation of your mental health. 

Psychological Evaluations 

Our mental health experts psychologically evaluate you to understand your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours. These give us an insight into your mind and understand the root cause of your eating problems. 

Eating Disorders Treatments 

Psychotherapy 

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective and proven forms of treatment for Eating Disorders. It helps identify and alter thought patterns that lead to unhealthy eating behaviours. For younger people, family-based therapy can be a great alternative since parents and other loved ones are involved in the recovery process. 

Other types of therapies can also be effective, and an eclectic approach may be used to help regulate emotions and address underlying issues.

Medications

Medical intervention is needed in those cases where an Eating Disorder has led to severe complications in a person’s physical health. Interventions may include monitoring vital signs, addressing malnutrition through dietary supplements, and managing other co-occurring conditions such as heart problems or electrolyte imbalances. Inpatient treatment or hospitalisation may also be needed in extreme cases where the person needs intensive care and support.

Nutrition Counselling

Nutrition counselling involves working with a registered dietician who specialises in Eating Disorders. The dietician will prepare personalised meal plans depending on your needs and case history, ensuring balanced nutrition and gradual, sustainable dietary changes. Nutritional counselling also involves educating you about food, clearing any doubts and misconceptions about food that may have led to the disorder, and helping you rebuild a healthy relationship with food.

The cost of booking an appointment at BetterPlace is INR 2,000. In your first 90-minute appointment, you meet a psychologist and a psychiatrist to understand and assess your needs. Our expert team and integrated care model guarantee a successful mental health journey for you.