Essay Example on Treating Anorexia & Bulimia: Same Strategies, Different Outcomes

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are some of the eating disorders which affect people in the world today. They have different manifestations and effects on an individual, but their treatments are almost the same. Anorexia nervosa is a condition characterized by food restriction, a strong desire to be thin, low weight, and fear of gaining weight (Zipfel et al., 2015). Even though they are underweight, people suffering from this disorder see themselves as overweight, therefore, try to lose weight. They engage in activities such as excessive exercise, eat small amounts of food, use laxatives, and even force vomiting to lose weight. This condition may lead to certain complications such as infertility, osteoporosis, heart damage, and stop menstrual periods in women, among others. Therefore, considerations should be taken to limit it (Zipfel et al., 2015). On the other hand, bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating and purging. In this case, the patient eats a lot of food in a short period and then starts to get rid of the food consumed through vomiting or taking laxatives. Unlike those suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia patients have standard weights throughout their life. However, the vomiting may lead to a breakdown of the teeth and thickened skin on the knuckles. The effects of this disorder include anxiety, depression, alcohol, and drug abuse (Slade et al., 2018).

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The cause of these disorders has not been established, making their treatment a significant challenge. However, research studies have identified some essential treatment measures which have helped in reducing the occurrence of the disorders. Proper diet, for example, has been one of the significant discoveries in preventing these disorders (Zipfel et al., 2015). For preventing or treating these disorders, a proper diet must be observed by everyone. The foods taken must be tailored to the needs of an individual to help them fight the disorder. A patient should have a meal plan containing a variety of foods that will help in fighting the health problem. The foods listed in the meal plan for a person suffering from anorexia nervosa should be of a high energy density to provide calories that are needed by these individuals (Zipfel et al., 2015). The calories should be increased to the patient gradually to help in the recovery process. The first provision should be in small amounts, then raised in small quantities until the required daily calorie intake is attained. For those with bulimia nervosa, the foods in the meal plan should not cause any form of irritation, which may lead to vomiting. Diet will be of much benefit to anorexia nervosa patients than it is to bulimia nervosa patients.

Apart from diet, therapy is another intervention that can be used to treat both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Therapy provided to these individuals can be divided into two to take care of both adults and adolescent teens. Since teens may need support during the treatment process, Maudsley family therapy is much suitable for them (Zipfel et al., 2015). Through this therapy, the family may intervene and provide support, which is necessary for the teens. The teens may not realize the detrimental consequences of these disorders. They may not take the treatments seriously, making it essential to involve their families to help them undertake the therapy sessions frequently for proper healing. Two types of family-based treatment can be employed on the teens. They can undergo conjoint family therapy in which their parents accompany the child undergoing healthcare. They can also decide to use separated family therapy in which the child and the parents attend different therapy with different therapists (Slade et al., 2018). These therapies are efficient for the teens leading to their accelerated recovery.

For adults, cognitive behavioral therapy is more suitable (Zipfel et al., 2015). Adults do not need much support during the process. Therefore, there is no need for family-based treatment for their therapy to be successful. In this type of healthcare, the therapist combines both cognitive remediation therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to treat the disorders (Slade et al., 2018). The patient will have to accept the condition and commit to the therapy session before the healing process begins. During the therapy sessions, the patients are taught how to challenge their automatic thought to think differently. The learning also tries to compel them into engaging in behavioral experiments. These aims at making sure the patients feel and behave differently to avoid the thoughts and behaviors which led to the disorder. For therapy to work effectively, both the patient and the therapist must work together discussing, recording, and developing coping strategies that will be effective in treating the disorder (Zipfel et al., 2015). According to Slade et al. (2018), when people are made aware of their actions, they tend to think of alternatives to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Research has shown that individuals who exhibit early behavioral changes while undergoing therapy always achieve the best treatment outcomes (Zipfel et al., 2015).

Medication has not been the best option for treatment, especially for anorexia nervosa due to the lack of information to make recommendations concerning the use of antidepressants (Zipfel et al., 2015). The lack of information has limited the use of pharmaceuticals in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. However, medication has been a good option for treating bulimia nervosa. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors class of antidepressants has provided excellent results in treating bulimia nervosa (Slade et Al., 2018). As a result, medication is a good option for treating bulimia, unlike in the case of anorexia. Some of the antidepressants which have been used in the treatment include sertraline, fluoxetine, and topiramate (Slade et al., 2018). Even though they may cause some side effects, their action in treating bulimia is right, giving outstanding results. Some of the positive outcomes that have been achieved through the use of medication in treating bulimia nervosa include reduced symptoms of severe psychiatric, a decrease in the desire to lose weight, a reduction in relapse rates, abstinence from binge eating and an improvement in social functioning of the patients (Slade et al., 2018). A combination of medication and counseling provides even better results than medication alone, making it necessary to include advice to the patients under medication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders that affect the world today, especially in the developed world. These disorders have been increasing in recent years, making it necessary to take precautionary measures before it affects many people. A lot of research needs to be done to determine their causes and better ways of dealing with them. Patients suffering from the disorders usually undergo depression leading to several cases of suicide hence the need for proper counseling to avoid such deaths. A lot of efforts have been made in treating the disease through ensuring proper diet among those affected, therapies, and medication. However, there is a need for better interventions to prevent and treat the disorders. To achieve zero cases in these disorders, people must learn to accept and love themselves. This will reduce instances of low self-esteem, which has led to people trying to emulate others, especially models. The society must also learn to respect each other and should not discriminate against people based on their shape and weight in which big-bodied people are not respected. A lot of awareness is also necessary for people to understand these disorders, which will lead to affected individuals accepting the condition readily.

References

Slade, E., Keeney, E., Mavranezouli, I., Dias, S., Fou, L., Stockton, S., Saxon, L., Waller, G., Turner, H., Serpell, L., Kendall, T. & Fairburn, C. G. (2018). Treatments for bulimia nervosa: a network meta-analysis. Psychological medicine, 48(16), 2629-2636. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/treatments-for-bulimia-nervosa-a-network-metaanalysis/E2F5EDDEF98F480DED2FB09AF87C12F8

Zipfel, S., Giel, K. E., Bulik, C. M., Hay, P., & Schmidt, U. (2015). Anorexia nervosa: aetiology, assessment, and treatment. The lancet psychiatry, 2(12), 1099-1111. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215036615003569