Of all the different kinds of psychotherapy available family therapy is perhaps the one most commonly suggested as being beneficial to the anorexic? Probably because the majority of sufferers that yield to anorexia are children, most of them being young girls between the ages of 15 and 18.

Family therapy works by involving not only the young person who is anorexic but also the family as the name suggests, it is thought that many anorexics blame there problems on everything else but themselves.

Often too the family suffer but in a different way they blame themselves for failing there child, asking themselves “where did we go wrong?” It is just as important for them too to realize they are not the ones at fault.

There is no such thing as the “perfect” family we all at sometime or another develop problems within the family but more often than not these are realised and dealt with accordingly at the time. Sometimes problems sneak up on us and are left to fester and develop without us even realising it, this is where a family therapist can greatly help.

A great strain is put on the whole family by having an anorexic child, what once was a great joy, the time when all the family were together, meal time has by now turned into a nightmare for both the anorexic and the indeed other family members.

If you have more than one child in the home then they will notice even if they don’t quite understand that something isn’t right, they may feel left out with the attention there sibling is receiving perhaps even to the point of being resentful.

They may even behave differently, perhaps they themselves changing from there normal behaviour just to gain attention. All of this of course only adds to the already stressful situation within the family.

The family therapist will meet the whole family together but both parents and children also have the option of talking with the therapist alone should they feel the need too. The therapist will help the family as a whole understand that no one is to blame for the cause of the illness and also help them to understand what the anorexic is going through.

More importantly that they can overcome it and be the family they once were, they will suggest ways for the parent to help there child and possibly suggest ways for them to take over there child’s eating habits until she/he has begun gaining weight.

Above all they are there for the family as a whole and will look into the relationships between each family member.

Anorexia nervosa is a eating disorder that affects millions of individuals throughout the world. Anorexia has no lines it will not cross and will inflict itself upon young women of all ages and races, as well as men. Anorexia is a disease, classified as an eating disorder, where individuals will starve themselves on purpose.

There are many theories on the cause of anorexia and weight loss is the most common side effect of anorexia. However, weight loss is not the only effect anorexia will have on an individual.

Suffering from anorexia, an individual most likely will develop drastic changes to their personality. An individual who is normally outgoing and considered to be an extrovert will suddenly withdraw into themselves and become more subdued.

They may suddenly have a difficult time concentrating and are in constant fear of gaining weight. Their diet becomes the most important aspect of their lives and the one thing they can control.

The massive weight loss that happens with anorexia can cause many changes to the body. Due to a lack of vitamins and proteins, the fingernails will become fragile, hair will become dingy and brittle, and the skin may turn a yellowish, pale color.

Also due to the massive weight loss, the body temperature will drop. This will make the anorexic more prone to cold. Once the body becomes too thin, it is common for menstruation to stop, as well.

One of the first systems in the body to be damaged from anorexia is the skeletal system. Most commonly, anorexia is found within young women at the time they are still developing. The effects of anorexia can lead to osteoporosis later in life.

In more severe cases of anorexia, there may be liver damage, as well as kidney damage, and an irregular heart beat. Cardiac arrest, as heart muscle deteriorates and weakens with anorexia, is one the leadings cause of death among those diagnosed, as well as pulmonary and renal damage.

While anorexia is a serious illness, it can be treated and it is reversible. One of the issues with anorexia is the fact that the damage can start even before weight loss becomes apparent.

In young girls who have been diagnosed, it will often have long-term effects on their fertility. If diagnosed early in the onset of anorexia, treatment tends to be successful. There are many individuals, however, that do not get treatment early enough and the results can be fatal.

Relapses can and will happen on the road to recovery from anorexia relapses are common in any illness and anorexia is no exception. To the anorexic this can be devastating for they already have a deep sense of failure and worthlessness, this has been a part of there illness for so long it is now second nature and a relapse is often devastating to the anorexic.

Relapses can happen anywhere from a day to a month but the most important thing to remember is that it is a common occurrence; it also doesn’t mean that you are right back where you started. It doesn’t mean you are a failure, you didn’t do anything wrong it is just a minor set back on the long road to total recovery.

In fact relapses are a common part of the recovery process from any eating disorder. During the process of recovery what you are actually doing is learning and training your self to be yourself again, you may have suffered from anorexia for a number of years and just as anything that has been repeated over and over again for any length of time the habit is a hard one to break.

Your illness is no exception, you have to totally change thoughts and feelings that have lingered deep inside you for a long time, these thoughts and feelings are not going to change over night. Just because you made the decision and admitted to your illness it won’t just leave you, admission and realization of your illness is a huge step on the road to a full recovery but it isn’t a miracle over night cure.

It is quite possible you have had anorexia for such a long time that you have actually forgotten the person you were or thought you were, the process then is almost like re birth, learning to become a new person.

Think of it as a child growing and learning, the toddler will learn to walk at first this will be slowly and haltingly but in time he gets steadier on his feet, more confident he is finding himself.

Occasionally he will stumble and even fall, when this happens there may be a few tears but these are quickly forgotten and he picks himself up and walks again.

The anorexic who stumbles upon a relapse is like this toddler and should try and just let the relapse pass, pick them selves back up without too much thought and worry and carry on down the road to recovery.

It is important to stress here that there is no miracle cure for anorexia, it is not something as simple as a chest infection or any other viral infection that can be treated with antibiotics, and this is merely an option that might work after advice with your own doctor.

Psychotherapy is one of many options that are available to the sufferer of anorexia nervosa, psychotherapy is treatment by discussion, and there is nothing to say for certain that psychotherapy does or will work for sure but it is one option that is worth looking deeper into.

There are many different kinds of psychotherapy available which can be used as treatment for anorexia and for some people of the people who venture down this avenue psychotherapy does and has thought to have helped them.

Maybe it’s the simple fact of having realised and admitted toy yourself and other’s around you that you do have a problem. We all have felt the need or will feel the need to talk with someone at sometime or another in our lives, most often this has been for nothing as serious as what the anorexic sufferer is going through.

The relief alone that comes with just sitting down and talking is a great feeling, we have all heard the saying “a trouble shared is a trouble halved” just by knowing you are not alone in what you are going through is a tremendous feeling and a step in the right direction on the road to recovery.

Psychotherapy as an option helps by changing the anorexics thoughts; these can be about themselves for many people suffering from anorexia develop a hatred of themselves and also how the person thinks about food.

Sessions of talking with your therapist will also help you gain a better understanding of ways to cope in the future, making sure that once the weight has been gained and the person has made a full recovery the chances will be greatly less of them slipping back.

Psychotherapy is usually offered once or twice a week and the whole process usually takes at least a year to complete, though there is no hard and fast rules it is generally thought that for proper habits to become established within this person it unusually takes this length of time.

The Different Types of Anorexia Therapy Available

There are several different types of psychotherapy available, the most commonly used is family therapy, this is because anorexia seems to affect more young girls between the age of 15 and 18 than any one else, though it is not uncommon for boys and indeed older woman and men to fall prey to this disease. Family therapy will be deeper looked into in another article, other therapy options are:

Cognitive therapy

This therapy helps you change your negative thoughts and feelings by replacing them with positive thoughts, it helps you gain a better insight into yourself as a person and gives you back control over the person you are not the one you have become.

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Body awareness therapy

This therapy will help you gain a better understanding of how your body works and the negative effects anorexia has on the body. The therapist may give you exercises to do such as self massage; this is a hand on approach that actually lets you feel just what your body is like.

The anorexic thinks she is overweight, fat, but by actually running her hands along her body and feeling bones sticking out a better understanding is often gained.

Much research has been done on anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder affecting millions of people in the world. Studies have shown that many eating disorders, such as anorexia, tend to be more prominent in some families.

This research indicates that certain genetic factors may in fact predispose some individuals to anorexia. However, is blaming anorexia on genetics a cop-out?

Many of the studies on anorexia have resulted in the belief that there is not just one thing that will cause an eating disorder such as anorexia.

Many researchers feel that there are phases of the process in becoming anorexic. These are being predisposed to anorexia and certain events that may cause an individual to become vulnerable.

When these two things come together for an individual, they may find themselves suffering from the symptoms of anorexia. Being a woman between the ages of 15 and 35 years old will put one at a higher risk for anorexia, as well as having depression or anxiety disorders.

If one grows up in a family where body image is an issue or has not instilled enough self-esteem in family members, one is more apt to be diagnosed with anorexia. While many researches have felt that it is genetics that may cause anorexia, more research seems to indicate otherwise.

If an individual has grown up in these conditions and if certain factors in their lives join forces, they are more prone to become anorexic. Research also indicates that the genetic factors that predispose individuals to disorders such as alcoholism and drug addiction will also predispose one to eating disorders.

Much of the research as concluded that if an identical twin has been diagnosed with anorexia or another eating disorder, the risk is greater that the other twin will develop this, as well.

The fact is personality traits can be inherited and they play a very important role in the development of anorexia. Some of these personality traits include perfectionism, prone to risk-taking, impulsiveness, obsessive behavior, and low self-esteem.

While research tends to conclude that eating disorders do develop in families, the research is not conclusive to be in genetics alone. The fact is it takes more than one particular personality trait or one particular event to cause a person to develop anorexia.

If an individual grows up in a family that does not install a high self-esteem in them and is under the constant strain of watching their weight, they are more likely to become inflicted with anorexia, however, this is a combination of predisposed issues and the environment. While blaming genetics is not a cop-out, the fact is genetics is only a part of the cause.

When treating eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, there are several aspects of treatment as they are complex disorders. Psychiatric counseling, nutrition counseling, and behavioral counseling are all part of the treatment plan for those suffering from eating disorders. However, the anti-depressant also plays a very important role in treating eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia.

Those diagnosed with eating disorders commonly have other psychiatric disorders, such as social phobia, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or depression. According to research, as many as 80 percent of those diagnosed with bulimia are also diagnosed with mood disorders.

Whether they are obsessive-compulsive disorders or anxiety disorders, anti-depressants can help them to decrease their binging and purging behaviors and anti-depressants seem to do well in helping the diagnosed cope with their disorders.

With some individuals that have been diagnosed, once their weight has been restored and they have been nutritionally rehabilitated, the depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors they’ve experienced will be alleviated.

Before prescribing anti-depressants to one diagnosed with an eating disorder, they will commonly have to at least begin a nutritional rehabilitation program, have a full medical evaluation, as well as begin their psychotherapy treatment.

In some cases, it is common for the mood disorders to disappear when they are nutritionally rehabilitated. However, each individual case has variances and therefore, there is no one way to treat an individual diagnosed with eating disorders.

Medications are often prescribed to help treat the depression and anxiety that is generally experienced by those diagnosed with eating disorders. Anti-depressants will help to reduce one’s sensitivity to stress and reduce the anxiety associated with eating disorders.

A person diagnosed with anorexia commonly feels a lack of self-esteem and feels extreme anxiety about food and gaining weight. Anti-depressants can reduce this anxiety and perhaps, help with their feeling of low self-esteem.

This works in the case of those diagnosed with bulimia and other eating disorders, as well. Reducing feelings of anxiety and depression will allow them to be rehabilitated quicker. Millions of individuals around the world, both men and women, suffer from eating disorders.

Because most individuals who are diagnosed with an eating disorder also may have a pre-existing mood disorder, anti-depressants play a very important role in their treatment.

Again, as there is no one cure for eating disorders, each individual case is different and therefore must be treated according to their symptoms of anxiety and depression.