How are eating disorders treated?
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why someone you love has food or weight issues. It is not enough to tell your child to eat. If they have an eating disorder, it is not just about food or weight. There is much more going on that you can’t fix with a pep talk. In the links section of this article you will find a list of clinics and hospitals across Ontario that will treat children with eating disorders and are covered by OHIP. Listen to the podcast with April Gates, program coordinator of Homewood Health Centre’s Eating Disorders Program as she describes treatment. Also, in the Videos section under Resources you can watch a speech given by Jenni Schaefer, author of “Life without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too,” at Homewood Health Centre on February 6, 2008. Jenni describes how treatment helped her. Also, in our printable resources you will find some articles written by Jenni and her therapist, Thom Rutledge, about some treatmen
People with eating disorders need emotional support and psychotherapy to overcome their condition. Often, nutritional counseling and medications also are used. Treatment always should include seeing a psychiatrist. Psychotherapy is a series of private talks with a psychiatrist where a person discusses the feelings, thoughts and behavior that cause difficulty. The goal of psychotherapy is to help people understand and master their problems so they can function better. Psychotherapy can help people with eating disorders understand why they limit their food intake or why they binge and/or purge. This understanding can lead to healthier attitudes about food. Most people with an eating disorder can be helped in an outpatient program. People with severe or life-threatening eating disorders may need to be treated in a hospital.
