Guide to Getting Help for an Eating Disorder

“I think I, or my loved one, may have an Eating Disorder, now what?”

Once we figure out that we may be struggling with an Eating Disorder or disordered eating, the next step is to seek out treatment, which can be an incredibly overwhelming, daunting and stressful task. My goal in writing this post is to help give you a simple-to-follow guideline to answer that “now what” question to help make this time a little simpler for you.

1. Don’t wait, take action: If you suspect that you or a loved one has an Eating Disorder or struggles with food or body image, please do not wait for it to resolve itself. While it is normal in our society to have struggles with these parts of our lives, it may start off innocent and may remain innocent, but there is that chance that it will turn into a more serious issue. Research shows that the earlier an Eating Disorder is detected and treated, the more likely the person struggling is to recover and in a shorter period of time. There may be battles in yours or your loved ones head that is resisting the idea based on the faulty thought; “I’m not sick enough” which leads me to my next point.
2. Don’t believe the “I’m not sick enough” or “It’s not that bad” thoughts: If the struggle with food or body image is impacting your ability to live a normal, healthy life, you are sick enough and it is bad enough. If you find yourself often turning down friends’ invitations to get pizza because you can’t possibly think about taking in that many calories, you are sick enough. If you find yourself having thoughts like “I can have this cookie because I ran an extra 15 minutes today” or “I can only have that pasta if I don’t eat carbs at breakfast,” you are sick enough. If you have a hard time picking an outfit for the day because “nothing looks right on me,” you are sick enough. It is sometimes hard to admit that we are sick and we need help. Sometimes it’s even hard to identify because we live in a thin-obsessed culture where these types of statements and thoughts seem normal. Contrary to popular belief, the size and weight of your body does NOT reflect an Eating Disorder, so please do not be fooled into thinking you do not need help just because you don’t look a certain way.
3. Time to find a therapist: I must emphasize the importance it is to find a therapist that specializes in the treatment of Eating Disorders. The treatment of Eating Disorders is an incredibly specialized field and it is imperative to seek out a therapist with experience with Eating Disorders. Many of my clients have sought out other treatment before coming to me, because either the client or their prior therapist decided that they needed a specialist in the field, and that therapist is not able to help them. I would encourage you to make your first stop a therapist who specializes with Eating Disorders. This will save you time, money and feelings of discouragement. Do your research finding a therapist that is right for you and specializes in Eating Disorders. Call around and ask questions.
4. Insurance (insert eye-roll here): We can’t ignore the important role insurance can play in choosing a health-care professional. Look into your insurance’s provider panel and call therapists off the list to find out if they specialize. If you want to use a therapist not on the list, ask your insurance provider if you have out-of-network benefits. If you do, the therapist will provide you a receipt each session that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

I hope that this guide can help you find a therapist that can help you with your eating struggles and that it encourages you to seek help right away. You can get better and not feel so constrained by the rules or thoughts that limit you.

I wish you well on your journey to finding your State of Balance.