| Bulimia nervosa: Treatment and long-term outcomes | 3788.00000000000 | Bulimia nervosa: Treatment and long-term outcomes | Bulimia nervosa: Treatment and long-term outcomes | B | English | Psychiatry | Teen (13-18 years) | NA | NA | Non-drug treatment | Teen (13-18 years) | NA | | 2019-03-25T04:00:00Z | | | | | | 10.7000000000000 | 52.5000000000000 | 733.000000000000 | | Flat Content | Health A-Z | | <h2>How is bulimia nervosa treated?</h2><p>The first step in treating <a href="/Article?contentid=3787&language=English">bulimia nervosa (BN)</a> is to assess if it is safer for you to be treated as an inpatient (staying in the hospital) or an outpatient (coming for clinic visits only). Your doctor will check if there are problems with your heart rate or blood pressure or if the bingeing or purging is so out of control that you need to be admitted to hospital to break the cycle.</p><p>Most teens get help for BN by coming to an eating disorder clinic once or twice a week as an outpatient. Clinic visits usually involve seeing a therapist, sometimes seeing a doctor or nurse for a medical check and sometimes meeting with a dietitian (with your parent or caregiver) to talk about your eating patterns.</p><p>The goal of treatment is to help you:</p><ul><li>stop the cycles of bingeing and purging</li><li>work on having all types of food in moderation, including foods you may have binged on </li><li>help you manage any emotions about your eating, including any worries about your weight</li></ul><p>Treatment for BN usually also includes family-based treatment (FBT). This is because BN affects the whole family and it can sometimes be really hard for someone with an eating disorder to go through treatment on their own. Older teens who are motivated to get help may be offered a specialized form of cognitive behavioural therapy.</p><p>If you are experiencing depression or anxiety in addition to BN, your health-care team may suggest other therapy for those conditions once the eating disorder is under control.</p><p>Sometimes your health-care team may also suggest medication. Antidepressants can help with depression or anxiety and can sometimes also help with urges to binge or purge.</p> | | | <h2>How to help yourself as you receive treatment for bulimia nervosa</h2><h3>Talk to others</h3><p>It can be really difficult to share your worries about your eating or concerns about your body, but talking to a trusted adult is the first step in helping yourself.</p><h3>Gradually change your eating patterns</h3><p>Unfortunately, there is no short-cut to recovery from an eating disorder. Getting better requires you to nourish your body with regular meals and snacks from a variety of food types. It may be really hard to think about this, so when your eating disorder is ‘telling’ you to binge or eat less, it can help to eat meals with someone who is supportive. </p><p>The time after eating is when the eating disorder thoughts can get really loud for some people. Try to distract yourself by doing something you enjoy or spending time with others. It can help to focus on activities that are not about weight or body image, such as watching a funny movie or playing a board game with family.</p><h3>Avoid triggers</h3><p>It’s important to avoid triggering situations or environments as you receive treatment for BN. Going online to certain sites, support groups or social media accounts or being around people who talk a lot about dieting or losing weight do not usually help us feel better about ourselves. Spending a lot of time looking in the mirror also tends to make us over-focus on how we look. This can become a problem especially for people with eating disorders. Instead, try looking out for people or websites that are positive and interesting and not just focused on physical appearance, and try not to compare yourself to others.</p><h3>Learn and practise coping skills</h3><p>As part of your treatment, your therapist may suggest that you try to learn some relaxation methods or
<a href="/Article?contentid=3778&language=English">mindfulness</a> to help you cope with your emotions. As overwhelmed as you may feel when eating, purging or comparing yourself to others, do make time to try to practise new coping skills.</p><h2>What can I expect in the future?</h2><p>Often people experience BN for years before they get help. Treatment will usually involve regular appointments over a year. You will see a therapist and sometimes may also see a doctor or nurse practitioner for a medical check. </p><p>Just as struggles with body image and eating develop over years, so recovery from BN also takes time. About half of people with BN report being free of symptoms five to 10 years after treatment. The sooner you get help, the sooner you can start to recover. </p> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <h2>At SickKids<br></h2><p>SickKids has an eating disorder program that treats children and teens who are struggling with symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. For more information on our program visit:
<a href="http://www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/programs/eating%20disorders%20program/eating-disorders-program.html">www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/eating-disorders-program</a></p> | <h2>Resources</h2><p>
<a href="http://www.nedic.ca/">NEDIC – National Eating Disorder Information Centre</a> (Canada)</p><p>
<a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/">NEDA – National Eating Disorder Association</a> (United States)</p><p>American Academy of Pediatrics –
<em><a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Is-Your-Teen-at-Risk-for-Developing-an-Eating-Disorder.aspx">Eating Disorders in Children</a> </em></p><p>
<a href="https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/">B-EAT – Beating Eating Disorders</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>
<a href="https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/">Kelty Eating Disorders</a> (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, BC Children's Hospital)</p> | <h2>References</h2><p>Practice Parameters for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders - J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015;54(5):412–425.<br></p> | | | | | | | | | |
