Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate.

Most people feel self-conscious about their body and appearance at some point in their lives. However, for people living with eating disorders or disordered eating or problematic obsessions with body image, these concerns can make it very difficult to enjoy life the way they would like. Hyper-focusing on these problems can be detrimental to your overall well-being, and can result in high risk behaviors, such as excessive dieting and overexercising, and relationship challenges.

Beginning to work through the symptoms of disordered eating can feel scary, especially if it’s been your primary way of coping with pain and emotional hurt for a long time. In the beginning of your healing journey, it might feel as though you are losing control of the very thing that you know, and that has provided you with safety and comfort. At Embark Counseling Services, our compassionate and caring professionals are intentional about providing trauma competent support, supporting you as you progress towards living your best life free of pain and obsessions. Here you can discover that we care and offer real hope.

Eating Disorders Come in Many Shapes & Sizes

Disordered eating does not only affect females. It also is a problem for males, transgender and nonbinary individuals. As a matter of fact, eating disorders affect every gender, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, males either want to lose weight, or “bulk up”. Males with eating disorders show most of the same symptoms as females do, including emotional, physical, and behavioral issues. Eating disorder onset typically occurs in adolescence or young adulthood but is not limited to these life stages. Even children and tweens/teens may show signs and symptoms of having an eating disorder. What is common is that the struggle with food and the relationship with the body and body image disrupts the health and well-being of the person.

Disordered eating is common, and although it may not meet the full criteria for an eating disorder, it is important to pay specific attention to the symptoms and root causes of the eating behaviors. Early intervention is critical to the healing and recovery for individuals who struggle with eating behaviors. This includes children and teens.

Among adolescents, eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness. Also, eating disorders are oftentimes accompanied by other issues, including substance use disorder (SUD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexual abuse history, depression, anxiety disorder, and other health issues. It is not uncommon for families to experience signifiant distress and conflict when an eating disorder is present. Having a professional who is trained in family systems approach is beneficial in the healing of the individual’s eating disorder.

Recovery is remembering who you are and using your strengths to become all that you were meant to be.

An Eating Disorder is Not a Choice.

Eating disorders aren’t a choice, behavior problem, or lack of willpower. An eating disorder is an illness with biological and genetic roots that are influenced by culture. There is no one distinct cause of eating disorders. Research has found a number of “genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors” that can increase the risk of eating disorder development, including a traumatic past, attachment wounds and abusive relationships. Most often, people with eating disorders often have turned to controlling their diet and intake as a way to soothe their discomfort, stress, pain, sadness, sense of feeling trapped in unhappiness, or even their chronic pain in their physical health, as a result of feeling out of control or in danger. This has oftentimes served as a source of comfort, stability, predictability and control for those who have endured this type of trauma.

Eating Disorder Types & Symptoms

Below are some common eating disorder types and symptoms.

Types

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder
Compulsive Overeating
Bulimia
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)

Symptoms

Dramatic weight gain or loss
Frequently talking about food, weight, and shape
Rapid or persistent decline or increase in food intake
Excessive or compulsive exercise patterns
Purging, restricting, binge eating, or compulsive eating
Abuse of diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or emetics
Denial of food and eating problems, despite the concerns of others
Eating in secret, hiding food, disrupting meals, feeling out of control with food
Medical complications, such as menstrual irregularity, dizziness, fainting, bruising, dry skin, leg cramps, hair loss, brittle hair, osteoporosis, diarrhea, constipation, dental problems, diabetes, chest pain, heart disease, heartburn, shortness of breath, organ failure, and other serious symptoms

If you or a loved one struggles with dieting, eating behaviors or are concerned that you might have an eating disorder, these questions will help you determine if it is time to seek out support from one of our professionals.

Please answer “yes” or “no” for each question. Based on your experiences in the past six months:

Do you have a strong desire to be thinner than you are today?
Does the thought of gaining weight make you extremely anxious or fearful?
Do you go long periods of time without eating anything as a means to control your weight?
Do you have strict, self-imposed rules about the type and quantity of food you eat and experience extreme feelings of shame and guilt when you break these rules?
Do you ever eat in secret or hide food?
Do you compensate if you feel uncomfortably full? (ie. exercise, vomiting, laxatives)
Does gaining any amount of weight affect how you feel about yourself, or impact on your self-esteem?
Have you felt like you have lost control over how much you eat?
Do you have trouble making time for your relationships, work or hobbies because you’re preoccupied with controlling your diet and weight?

Eating Disorder Treatment Approaches

At Embark Counseling Services, our therapists use approaches that encourage body trust, like Health At Every Size, Embodiment, and Intuitive Eating. Further, we explore unhealed wounds that are at the root of the behaviors, encouraging enhanced emotional regulation and better relationships.

Our personalized treatment approach includes the following:

Individual therapy from an evidence based perspective with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and associated health concerns
Group therapy, as appropriate with other children or adolescents
Family therapy, as appropriate, to include parents, siblings and other family members
Collaboration with psychiatric services, as needed

Children, teens, and young adults have different needs than older adults typically do. While our providers work with adults, they specifically specialize in children and adolescents and develop treatment goals to meet the unique needs of your child or teen. Whether it’s individual, group, or family sessions (or all three), developmentally appropriate treatment options for all young people are an important part of our program. We believe that for our children and teens to make optimal recovery, it is focused on family involvement. The therapeutic process helps your child reconnect with themselves, family, friends, and their extended community.We have designed groups for family and sibling involvement. We also have created opportunities for early intervention for younger children who are showing signs of struggle with body image, impulse control or more noticeable symptoms.