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Eating disorders are serious conditions that can have a profound impact on your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in day-to-day life. Most eating disorders tend to focus on weight, body shape, types of food, or a combination that leads to dangerous eating behaviours. Many people with eating disorders don’t get adequate nutrition and can end up with serious health issues and other diseases. If you’re suffering from an eating disorder and want to know if online therapy is a viable treatment option, keep reading to get all the information you need.
Disordered Eating VS. Eating Disorders
Before we get into eating disorders, it’s important to recognize the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating. An eating disorder is a serious mental illness that needs treatment and support for recovery. Disordered eating is a broader term used to classify those who have an irregular relationship with food, exercise, and their bodies.
Disordered eating can include those that have very strict rules with food or exercise, constantly try different diets, have intense guilt and shame around eating, judge their self-worth by their body shape or weight, or several other food-related behaviours. While disordered eating may not be as serious as a fully developed eating disorder, it’s one of the most common risk factors for developing an eating disorder and should be taken seriously. Seeking help and treatment early on is a great step to preventing developing an eating disorder, and creating a positive and healthy relationship with food.
Common Eating Disorders
Most eating disorders can be described as having some aspect of overeating, undereating, and/or purging. Each eating disorder has its own unique symptoms and behaviours that distinguish it from others.
Here are a few of the most common, with characteristics and behaviours:
Binge eating disorder (BED) – Binge eating disorder is characterized by eating too much food on a regular basis. When you have BED, you may continue eating long after you feel full, often to the point of discomfort or even nausea. Binge eating disorders can occur in people of all weights and sizes, and many sufferers feel guilty about their behaviour.
Anorexia nervosa – Anorexia is characterized by an intense fear of weight gain and an unhealthy and distorted perception of weight. Having an abnormally low body weight is common for people with anorexia, and they will often severely restrict caloric intake or misuse diet aids, laxatives, diuretics, and enemas, or exercise excessively.
Bulimia nervosa – Bulimia is a condition that is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by purging. Many people with bulimia have a normal weight, or may even be slightly below normal, but believe they are overweight and fall into the cycle of binging and purging to try and keep their weight under control.
Common Signs of Eating Disorders
Not all eating disorders have the same signs and risk factors, but there are some signs that are evident in most, including:
- Having a body weight that is abnormally low or high
- The desire to eat secretly or alone
- Having a very irregular diet
- Obsession with losing or gaining weight rapidly
- Obsession with physical appearance and other people’s perception of appearance
- Using the bathroom frequently after meals
- Feeling shame or guilt around eating habits
Types of Therapy for Eating Disorders
Eating disorders tend to respond well to a handful of specific types of therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), and family-based treatment (FBT), also known as the Maudsley Model.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a treatment that can help with a range of psychological issues and mental health conditions by teaching people how thoughts, emotions and behaviours are connected. The idea is to learn how to restructure thoughts to support more productive and healthier feelings and actions.
Dialectical behaviour therapy is similar to CBT but focuses more on intense emotions that may lead to self-harm or other self-destructive behaviours. DBT uses CBT techniques combined with acceptance and mindfulness strategies to get results.
When EFT is used to address eating disorders, a person will learn how to manage their emotions instead of trying to control what they eat as an outlet for the emotions. EFT stages include stabilization, restructuring the bond, and integration and consolidation.
In family-based treatment, parents are empowered to take responsibility for the management of their child’s eating disorder. The three phases include getting support to re-establish normal eating patterns, carefully giving control of eating back to the child, and working through underlying issues to help the child establish a new identity.
Pros & Cons of Treating Eating Disorders Online
With modern technology, it’s possible to provide online therapy for various issues, including treating eating disorders. Eating disorders are highly personalized and include factors that aren’t present in many other mental health issues. Here are some of the pros and cons of online therapy for eating disorders, so you can decide for yourself if it seems like a viable option.
Pros
- It’s often easier to schedule appointments without having to consider travel time.
- You can do a session from just about anywhere that has an internet connection and some privacy.
- Texting your therapist is an option if you can’t call, providing more privacy and flexibility to communicate when you need to.
- Many people find it less intimidating to discuss their eating disorder through video instead of physically going to an office.
- It’s possible to be part of an online group and stay connected through messaging long-term.
Cons
- Online therapy may limit some of the nonverbal elements of communication.
- Potential technical issues could cause you to miss appointments or disrupt sessions.
- Some people may feel less accountable for their actions when they’re not having therapy in person.
- There can be fewer interactions for group work if you’re not outgoing because it’s easier to be isolated online.
Should You Try Online Eating Disorder Therapy?
If you’re comfortable with technology and still feel a connection when speaking with people online through video, then it is worth trying online eating disorder therapy. As long as you are a willing participant and make a pledge to yourself that you’re going to follow all of the same protocols and guidelines that you would in person, then there’s no reason online therapy won’t be successful for you.
For many people, the flexibility of online therapy offers even greater benefits, and they end up missing fewer appointments than going in to meet in person. Just be sure to give careful consideration to the level of support and accountability you need to make progress and be honest with yourself before making a decision.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Regardless of whether you decide to try online therapy for your eating disorder or not, keep in mind that your health is always the top priority. If you are restricting your food intake or binging, it’s important to seek medical attention. If you experience symptoms that include chest pain, ankle swelling with shortness of breath or chest pressure, feeling lightheaded for an extended period of time, fainting, irregular heartbeat, confusion, blood in vomit or stool, or any seizure-like activity, seek emergency medical care immediately.
If you’d like to learn more about online therapy for your eating disorder, book an appointment with one of our therapists today.
