Tag: <span>Eating Disorder</span>

Eating Disorder During Pregnancy
Individual Treatment • • By Web Master 0 Comments

Regaining Body Control: Overcoming an Eating Disorder During Pregnancy

Carrying a child means ensuring your nutrition and well-being. The lack of proper nutrition could have adverse effects on your and your baby’s health.

For people with eating disorders (ED) — a group of illnesses differentiated by irregular eating habits and a fixation on body weight — the changes during would-be motherhood could cause profound distress. While some ED patients improve during pregnancy, some may relapse even after they’ve recovered from the condition.

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health encourages ED patients to seek eating disorder treatment in Westport. The condition may make the already difficult transition into motherhood a lot harder.

Eating Disorder Risks Overlap with Childbearing Years

Men and women of all ages can experience an ED. But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health share that women in their 20s and early teens are more likely to suffer from anorexia and bulimia. The research notes that women in their mid to late-20s are more likely to receive a diagnosis for binge eating disorder (BED).

Some women carry a higher ED risk during their childbearing years. A 2013 study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health holds that the risk of developing ED during pregnancy is “alarmingly high.” The findings show that 1 in every 21 women had an ED while pregnant.

Some mothers-to-be may even develop an ED for the first time while pregnant. Of the respondents, 1.7 percent report developing a new case of binge eating disorder (BED).

Keeping Up with Physical Changes during Pregnancy

For those with a history of ED, there is a high risk of relapse during and after pregnancy. In turn, this could lead to harmful behaviour, such as restricting food, over-exercising, and binge eating.

All the attention on eating well during pregnancy and measuring weight loss at prenatal appointments could, for instance, be a trigger for women who already have complicated relationships with food and their bodies.

And social media doesn’t make things any better — there are countless pictures of women sporting flat chests and six-packs months into their pregnancy on Instagram. This could take a psychological toll because control and positive body image relate strongly to an eating disorder.

The Need for Compassionate Care

Having a baby is a stressful time, but some may feel uncomfortable sharing their struggles because they feel like pregnancy should be a “euphoric” experience. Choosing not to speak up may stem from a fear of judgment, blame, or intervention. And this is why eating disorders during pregnancy are hard to detect and even more challenging to treat.

But recovery is possible. Pregnancies conceived during a pregnancy do not have to end in tragedy since the outcome could depend on your weight, nutritional status, and the type of support you receive from doctors.

Soon-to-be mothers need adequate support, guidance, and understanding when coping with an ED during pregnancy. And it all starts by receiving multi-faceted, compassionate treatment.

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health helps patients overcome unhealthy eating behaviors. We provide mental tools to help you develop healthy coping skills. Contact us today.

Eating disorder
Adults • • By Web Master 0 Comments

It Isn’t About the Size: Being Skinny Is Not the Sole Indicator of Bulimia

Would you believe that someone could be battling bulimia even though they Not All Bulimic Individuals Are Skinny? Being Skinny Is Not the Sole Indicator of Bulimia.

Bulimia is a serious, life-threatening illness characterized by binge eating followed by purging, fasting, or excessive exercise. It often goes undetected because the signs are not as blatant as the symptoms of anorexia, which manifests mainly in extremely low body weight. People with bulimia can still fall within the normal weight range and feel intensely unhappy with their body figure such that they desperately want to lose weight.

Bulimia Goes Beyond the Way a Patient Looks

People may stereotype patients with eating disorders as extremely skinny or stick-thin. This isn’t always the case, though.

Like other eating disorders, bulimia centers around an individual’s obsession with body image and weight gain. But bulimics may be underweight or overweight; their body size may still be average despite attempts to reach an unrealistic body figure or weight.

In fact, the condition might lead to the opposite of the slim figure that patients with bulimia desire.  The frequent consumption of high-calorie food, although routinely purged, may cause weight gain. Moreover, the condition might cause the abdomen to bloat.

Given this information, we can assume that detecting bulimia is not as easy as assessing someone’s body figure. Instead of just assuming that someone who looks alarmingly thin has an eating disorder, we have to pay attention to other symptoms:

  • Eating uncontrollably and purging after
  • Inducing vomiting after meals
  • Abusing laxatives or diuretics
  • Exercising to the point of exhaustion
  • Fasting or starving one’s self for long periods

Bulimia may also result in mouth-related symptoms, such as sore throats and dental problems.

Treatment will take a long time because the condition affects the physical as well as the psychological well-being of an individual. Treatment must also address other conditions closely linked with the eating disorder and body image distortion.

Bulimia May Not Occur Alone

Being Skinny Is Not the Sole Indicator of Bulimia, is already a serious condition, but it does not always occur alone. People with bulimia may also suffer from other conditions, such as mood disorders, anxiety, depression, or substance dependence.

Patients with bulimia may also experience other dangerous side effects, such as stomach ulcers, a ruptured stomach, muscular fatigue, and constipation. Women patients may experience irregular periods. In the worst case scenario, the condition may lead to sudden heart failure.

To address bulimia and the other conditions linked with it, people have to be more open to the idea that not everyone with an eating condition is stick-thin. This stereotype is what leads to a potentially large number of undetected cases of bulimia.

Break Free from Bulimia

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health provides a bulimia treatment program in Westport, CT. We teach patients to identify and understand the reasons behind their eating behaviors so that we can help them develop healthy coping skills.

Our treatment plan lets you take back control of your thoughts and break free from bulimia. We know that the healing process does not happen overnight. So, we foster a safe and supportive environment that encourages you to heal mentally and physically at your own pace. Make an appointment with us, today.

Eating disorder
Adults • • By Web Master 0 Comments

Eating Disorders Among Female Athletes are High

Female athletes thrive in a world where coming out victorious is vital. They go through rigorous training, proper discipline, and strict diet. Some, however, push themselves to their limits by excessively working out and controlling their diet. As such, the world of athletics shows alarming rates of eating disorders among female athletes.

Treatment for bulimia or anorexia in our Westport practice handles eating disorders with utmost care. We use a combination fo techniques that allows us to help patients maintain recovery. But first, we dig deep to understand the underlying factors that drive the disorder. With female athletes, the reason may be the environment.

Why Is It Common Among Female Athletes?

The sports culture encourages women athletes to stay in excellent body size or shape for flawless performance. It’s this culture that often triggers them in developing eating disorders, like bulimia nervosa (BN) or anorexia nervosa (AN).

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) reports that almost 33 percent of Division 1 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) female athletes showed symptoms that place them at risk for AN. Additionally, 2.85 percent of female athletes have “a clinically significant problem with anorexia nervosa.”

The symptoms include the following:

  • Excessive fasting
  • Preoccupation with food
  • Binging
  • Purging
  • Fear of being overweight
  • Compulsive exercising
  • Obsession with training even when injured

Sports that emphasize the need to be thin can affect an athlete’s overall state of health. These sports include figure skating, gymnastics, and running. Eating disorders affect almost 62 percent of female athletes involved in figure skating and gymnastics.

The stress involved in athletic performance adds to the usual risk factors, like family history, making sports a breeding ground for mental illnesses. If you know someone dealing with eating disorders, it’s important to lead them toward a track of recovery through treatment.

Which Therapies are Applicable for Them?

Group therapy is a helpful treatment for female athletes. This kind of therapy can help relieve them from feelings of isolation, shame, or stigma. The sense of belonging helps them get through their condition, knowing that other people go through the same thing.

Family counseling can help, as well. A family can ensure the understanding and removal of potential negative influences in a person’s daily environment. When you have an athlete in the family or your circle of friends, give her the love and support she needs.

Coaches and families play a vital role in a female athlete’s life. As the people closest to the girl, analyzing and acknowledging the symptoms at an early stage can help – before things get worse.

Our treatment programs in Westport can provide the most appropriate treatment.

A Safe, Supportive, and Comfortable Environment

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health helps people with eating disorders, like bulimia, binge eating, and other conditions. We design comprehensive treatment plans to help patients cope with their urges, even after leaving the treatment center.

Our compassionate team of psychiatrists apply many psychotherapies, self-care methods, and recovery techniques. We practice a holistic approach to treatmeting, combining DBT with mindfulness psychotherapies. We also use relaxation techniques that help patients understand their emotions without the judgment.

Take control of your life or help a loved one do so. Contact us today to live free from eating disorders.

People working on laptop
Adults • • By Web Master 0 Comments

How to Deal with Eating Disorder in Your Workplace

Eating Disorders in Workplaces can affect anyone, even adults in the workforce. But you might find it difficult to identify whether one of your employees suffers from such problems.

If left undiagnosed or untreated, eating problems can cause serious health complications and can affect someone’s job performance. Fortunately, treatments like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help individuals overcome bulimia and other eating disorders. DBT teaches individuals new skills to manage negative emotions and reduce conflicts in relationships.

Now, the question is: how can you address eating disorders in your office?

Understand Their Condition

A good starting point would be to educate yourself. Eating disorders are serious problems associated with eating behaviors that have adversely affect someone’s health, emotions, and ability to function in daily life activities.

Eating problems usually occur when a person worries too much about body shape and weight because of social pressures. In America, a significant number of people face the challenges of these disorders.

The most common types of eating problems are bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia refers to consuming a huge amount of food followed by purging through forced vomiting.

Unlike people with bulimia, those who have anorexia tend to ignore food or only consume small servings of certain meals. They perceive themselves as overweight even if they are alarmingly underweight.

Watch Out for the Signs

Although it’s not easy to identify someone with eating disorders, there are signs to pay attention to allowing you to help an employee or coworker.

Individuals who have problematic eating habits are commonly obsessed with food, appearance, weight, and dieting. They admire thin people and feel envious of their thinness. This attitude may result in excessive weight loss.

Additionally, these people also try to avoid corporate events that involve food. You can observe that they withdraw from their co-workers and routine tasks.

In some cases, you may also notice evidence of binge eating. Others, on the other hand, head to the bathroom after eating to purge. They might also have scarred knuckles because of forced vomiting.

Talk About the Problem

If you have employees showing warning signs of an eating disorder and their performance starts to decline, try to have a discussion about it in a private meeting. Remember though not to make assumptions solely based on their appearance and to respect the individual’s right to confidentiality. You may also wish to bring in the human resources department to the conversation.

It’s essential to promote awareness and educate everyone in your workplace about eating disorders. A concerned and inclusive workplace allows for efficiency and productivity.

These illnesses can be life-threatening. So it’s crucial to pay attention to unusual behaviors that your employees show toward eating. Our Westport, Connecticut center offers comprehensive treatment plans designed to help individuals live free from eating disorders. We combine DBT with mindfulness-based psychotherapies and relaxation techniques.

We practice a variety of techniques that can help patients to heal in a safe and comfortable environment and achieve long-term recovery.

Contact us today to know more about our strategies of eating Disorders in Workplaces.