Treatment or Rehab for Eating Disorders

There are two types of eating disorders that are commonly known. They are Anorexia and Bulimia. These are two distinct types of eating disorders.

Bulimia is characterized by overeating, followed shortly by some form of purging. This is an attempt by the patient to control the weight after each session of overeating. Often, these methods involve incorrect ways of losing weight. They include vomiting, taking laxative or fasting.

Bulimia is often linked to depression, stress, or low self esteem. A person who suffers from Bulimia, when feeling stressful or depressed, experiences a loss of control. As a stop gap measure to help relieve the discomfort caused by the stress, the individual goes on an eating spree. Food consumed at this point usually include "comfort food" like sweets, ice-cream, and other tidbits.

The problem is, this state doesn't last for long. Soon, the individual calms down and feels regretful about taking so much food. He or she will then resort to some short term measure to get the food out of the system. Usually, these measures are unnaturally, as they involve forcing food out of the body. After that, the individual appears to be back to normal. However, when the individual encounters another stressful experience, the cycle starts all over again.

Unlike Anorexia, it is harder to detect a person who is suffering from Bulimia. This is because the individual usually looks just like a normal human being. He or she may not be overweight. And when the Bulimia cycle starts, eating and purging activities are often conducted privately. For this reason, some people don't even know that they are suffering from Bulimia. If wasn't until 1980s that Bulimia was officially recognized as an eating disorder.

In sharp contrast, Anorexia has much more devastating symptoms. Anorexia is characterized by an individual deliberately starving him or herself. There are many reasons why an individual will want to do this. Most suffer from Anorexia because they want to look slim. Some may be working in an industry that favors slim figures - like the modeling industry. Others may just want to look like their idols, so they start starving themselves. In the process, perhaps unknowingly, they started forming unhealthy eating habits. Over time, the condition worsens and they eventually find themselves suffering from Anorexia.

It is easier to spot someone suffering from Anorexia because an individual will look very pale and thin. There are other highly visible signs as well. For example, the individual may refuse to eat when in public. The skin surface may also appear to be brittle. The individual will try to avoid any unnecessary activities due to lack of energy. Without proper eating habits, the body has nothing to feed on and convert to energy.

Someone who is discovered to be suffering from Anorexia should seek treatment immediately. After all, the body is not designed to go for long periods of time without food. As the condition of the body continues to deteriorate, the life of the individual may be threatened.

Fortunately, both eating disorders can be treated. But professional assistance is highly recommended. Professionals will be able to recommend the right treatment programs depending on the severity of the disorders.