Christian Counseling for Eating Disorders: Facts and Treatment

Eating disorders can be very dangerous. One particular eating disorder is the deadliest form of mental illness: “Anorexia is the most lethal psychiatric disorder, carrying a sixfold increased risk of death — four times the death risk from major depression.” (WebMD)

Mortality rates are also high for other forms of eating disorders, including OSFED (Other Specified Eating or Feeding Disorder) and bulimia. There are lots of stereotypes involved with eating disorders, but the signs can manifest in a variety of ways, such as secrecy and shame. Fear of gaining weight is also a source of great distress for eating disorder patients, as is the feeling of being out of control.

Eating disorders tend to go through a few stages. At the less acute or initial stages, it may be possible to treat them with the intervention of a mental health professional; once a disorder is more fully developed, an interdisciplinary treatment team will most likely be required.

If you or someone you love is struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or orthorexia, it’s crucial to get help. Eating disorders can take over someone’s life and constrict their behavior so much that they feel recovery is impossible, but this is not true. Recovery is possible, and there is hope.

In Christian counseling for eating disorders, your qualified therapist can work with physicians and a treatment team, as well as address less severe situations, in a faith-based and compassionate context.

Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

Imagine you constantly have a voice in your head that tells you harsh, critical things about yourself, and makes you afraid to eat because you desperately fear gaining weight.

Imagine this voice forces you to take miles-long walks every single day, rarely sit down, and compulsively add up every calorie you eat. Picture trying to put together a puzzle of mini meals that will somehow stave off the yawning emptiness in your stomach while also remaining at the lowest number of calories possible.

This scenario is just a hint of what it’s like to live with anorexia.

Anorexia Basics

A clinical definition for anorexia nervosa is “an abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight” (Mayo Clinic).

Here are a few statistics:

• 75% of Americans with anorexia are female.
• 1 in 200 Americans will experience anorexia at some point in their lives.
• Onset can begin as young as 8 years old but is most common between the ages of 15 and 18.
• Although environmental factors do affect the chances of getting anorexia, it’s 71% genetic.

Facts About Anorexia

Anorexia is not a choice; it’s a mental illness that involves extreme restriction, calorie control, and often, excessive exercise, as well as a pathological fear of gaining weight.

Anorexia is not something someone can just “get over.” Recovery requires a concerted effort from professionals, including, at the more advanced stages, a primary care doctor, a mental health professional, a dietitian, etc.

Some patients require residential treatment, while others can do outpatient treatment. Therapy should continue into the maintenance phase after the weight is restored since relapse is quite common.

There are two subtypes of anorexia. The first is the restricting subtype, and the second is the binge eating and purging subtype. (The difference between this subtype and bulimia will be explained in the next section.)

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of anorexia:

• Avoidance of meals, events where eating is involved, or grocery stores and restaurants.
• Weighing food before eating.
• Fixation with mirrors.
• Making negative comments about appearance.
• Notable weight loss.
• Dizziness, fatigue, weakness.

Possible complications of anorexia include osteoporosis, dehydration, hypotension, stunted growth, hypoglycemia, and cognitive deficits. If you or someone close to you is struggling with anorexic behaviors, it’s crucial to seek help. Anorexia is the deadliest mood disorder out there. Do not suffer in silence. Take it one step at a time and reach out for help today.

Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

To picture what it’s like to live with bulimia, imagine having an overwhelming urge to eat, to fill yourself with food past the point of discomfort, with a sense of insatiability. Once you are finally too full to continue, you are gripped with feelings of panic, shame, and remorse, so you force yourself to vomit until you are dizzy and almost pass out, then you’re left lying on the bathroom floor, too dehydrated to even cry.

Someone with bulimia nervosa will experience this suffering regularly, no matter how much they promise themselves they won’t do it again.

Bulimia Basics

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by cycles of bingeing and purging (EDF). What is bingeing? It’s not just overeating, it’s “the consumption of large amounts of food in a very short period of time.”

Bingeing is accompanied by a feeling of being out of control. In the purge part of the cycle, which follows shortly after the binge, a person with bulimia will try to compensate for the calories consumed, whether by vomiting, taking laxatives, overexercising, or engaging in other harmful behaviors.

You may recognize some of these behaviors as similar to the ones in the binge/purge subtype of anorexia. What’s different? In bulimia, the restriction is not a notable symptom, and a specific weight is not required for diagnosis. People with bulimia often recognize how unhealthy their behaviors are, but they may be powerless to stop.

Facts and Treatment Options

Here are some signs and symptoms of bulimia:

• Avoidance of restaurants
• Constantly starting new diets
• Avoiding regular meals
• Keeping unusually large amounts of food
• Going to the bathroom immediately after meals on a regular basis
• Avoiding loved ones
• Becoming unusually moody

Possible complications of bulimia include dehydration, heart problems, tooth decay, and gum disease, mental health disorders, and suicidal thoughts.

Treatment for bulimia involves primary care, therapy, help from a dietitian, etc. In other words, it requires a comprehensive treatment plan. The FDA has approved Prozac for use in treating bulimia, even without a co-occurring depression diagnosis.

Treatment for Other Eating Disorders

To put yourself in the shoes of someone who has an OSFED, imagine starting what you believe to be a healthy diet, such as a plant-based diet. You read lots of articles online and watch a few documentaries. You follow social media influencers who eat this way. Your diet becomes increasingly restrictive as you read about the health dangers of foods even in your “safe” eating category.

Over time, your “safe” list of foods becomes shorter and shorter, and you spend exorbitant amounts of time each day researching, planning, and preparing food so that it will fit within your restrictions. You avoid friends or social situations where you might be tempted to eat “unhealthy” food. This day-to-day struggle is a glimpse of what it’s like to live with orthorexia, an eating disorder that falls under the spectrum of OFSED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder).

Besides anorexia and bulimia, the DSM-V provides diagnostic criteria for:

Pica: persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances.

Rumination disorder: repeated regurgitation of food.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: a feeding/eating disturbance manifested by failure to eat an adequate amount; does not have to meet the bodyweight diagnostic criteria for anorexia.

Binge-eating disorder: recurrent binge eating without the compensatory behaviors of bulimia.

Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED): “Symptoms characteristic of a feeding or eating disorder that causes clinical distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning predominate. However, DO NOT meet the full criteria for any of the disorders in the feeding and eating disorders diagnostic class.” (BodyMatters.com)

This can include:

• orthorexia (fixation on eating perfectly healthy food),
• excessive/compulsive exercise,
• body dysmorphic disorder,
• and possibly diabulimia, which is found in patients with type 1 diabetes, but is currently not a clinical diagnosis.

In the DSM-IV, the acronym EDNOS was used to stand for “Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.” The DSM-V no longer recognizes EDNOS but uses the term OSFED with adjusted criteria.

Eating disorders are serious conditions that can cause significant mental and physical health problems.

Here are some signs and symptoms of OSFED, according to Verywell Mind:

• Avoiding certain food groups
• Making frequent comments about weight
• Fear of eating around others
• Having rituals around eating
• Drinking large amounts of water and/or zero-calorie beverages
• Weight fluctuations
• Slow heart rate
• Problems sleeping
• Anemia

Possible outcomes of OFSED include irregular heartbeat and other heart problems, kidney problems, dehydration, osteoporosis, and more.

Recovery from Eating Disorders

Eating disorder treatment plans usually involve a team effort from doctors, mental health professionals, dietitians, and possibly residential staff if residential treatment is indicated. Outpatient treatment is another option for those who can manage treatment at home. Treatment is also crucial for co-occurring illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, alcoholism, etc., as these illnesses play a role in the eating disorder.

The Maudsley method, otherwise known as family-based treatment, is one well-known treatment approach for eating disorders. It was traditionally used for anorexia patients and involved their parents in a 6-12 month long process of outpatient treatment, but it has also been modified for bulimia and other EDs, as well as for older patients.

Other forms of psychotherapy are commonly used for individuals with eating disorders. Approaches may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, group therapy, and more.

Christian Counseling for Eating Disorders

The counselors at Pasadena Christian Counseling are trained and experienced with therapeutic techniques for eating disorders. They are also working from a faith-based perspective that compels them to offer compassion, respect, and understanding to each patient.

If you or someone you love is suffering from an eating disorder, don’t wait to get help. Call us today to schedule your risk-free initial session. Virtual sessions are available.