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Anorexia nervosa treatment usually involves addressing any physical health problems, therapy, and in extreme cases, immediate hospitalisation.
Here are some of the main treatments for anorexia nervosa:
Physical health
The first priority is to assess the individual's physical health, in particular to make sure they are not dangerously underweight and undernourished. Any medical complications, which have arisen due to the eating disorder, need to be taken care of.
It is the exception rather than the norm, but if an anorexia sufferer is in danger of starvation then immediate hospitalisation may be necessary to restore their body weight to an acceptable level. In hospital the patient will be closely monitored. If they refuse to eat, intravenous feeding may be required and supervision may be necessary to ensure that no purging behaviours take place. Once the patient has achieved an acceptable body weight they will be able to receive eating disorder therapy on an out patient basis.
Therapy
The type of therapy that is most appropriate will depend on the patient's individual preferences and their particular eating disorder.
Psychotherapy - There are different types of psychotherapy which can be useful in addressing the underlying psychological causes of an eating disorder. Psychotherapy encourages positive thought patterns, changes behaviours and improves interpersonal relationships. In particular psychotherapy can help an anorexia sufferer change their perceptions of their body image and improve their self-esteem, as well as encourage them to develop a sensible attitude towards food and healthy eating habits.
Family therapy - Family therapy can be useful if the patient is living at home; the whole family can attend therapy sessions together. It can help to identify the trigger for the patient's anorexia, such as troubled relationships and problems within the family that may have led them to have a negative self-image. An example would be a parent inadvertently putting too much pressure on their child to do well at school, resulting in the child feeling as though they never quite live up to expectation. Family therapy will help the child and parents to deal with the problem together and help recovery from anorexia.
Group therapy - Group therapy sessions may or may not be run by qualified health professionals, and are attended by individuals with varying degrees of anorexia. Some people find great comfort and support from attending therapy sessions with other anorexics and are encouraged to beat the disorder. However, some anorexics in attendance may not be as 'pro-recovery' as others and this may be counter-productive for those who want to get well. It is important that group therapy sessions encourage recovery rather than the anorexic behaviours themselves.
Medications
Antidepressants can sometimes be helpful in treating anorexia. However, these will not help change an individual's attitudes and beliefs about food, or deal with any body image distortion and low self-esteem issues.
Successful recovery from anorexia is highly likely once a patient is on the right path of anorexia treatment for them. Lapses and relapses may occur before the anorexia is beaten.