The myth that you can tell who has an eating disorder based upon their appearance is incredibly dangerous to those who are struggling. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C
A lot of adolescents today are struggling with an eating disorder known as binge eating disorder. One of the signs of the disorder is uncontrollable rapid consumption of large amounts of food, even when the person is not hungry. People suffering from this disorder have a high risk of depression, and it also goes the other way around. Those individuals with depression are also at great risk of developing binge-eating disorder. While the cause remains unclear, these two disorders go hand-in-hand. It can be a vicious cycle of feeling depressed, leading to eating too much or eating too much, then feeling depressed about it.
Tailoring a Plan to Fit the Needs of the Individual
Intervention will be hard in these cases. Parents simply tend to chastise their child for overeating and gaining weight, which then leads to depression. This will be a big problem in the future. There are, however, tailored plans that can be customized depending on the needs of the individual that will help treat both mental health disorders.
Intensive Outpatient Programs
These programs are designed to intensively focus on the treatment of the disorders that were diagnosed. These formal programs is comprised of a team of experts ready to assist you in battling the persisting disorders by coming up with the best treatment approach for adolescents.
The programs are incorporated with the following elements:
- Specialized therapy
- Emotional support
- Antidepressant medication
The medication part will only be prescribed for those with extreme conditions.
Parent Supervision
Parents always play an important role in their children’s lives and this goes the same with the treatment and recovery of an adolescent inflicted with these disorders. The following tips may help the situation:
- Providing the teen with adequate meals on time
- Altering schedules to accommodate parent supervision
- Encouraging the teen for more physical activities
- Inpatient or hospitalization program, if deemed necessary
An inpatient program is the program that will be ideal for adolescents who cannot recover as an outpatient. This will probably be recommended for a teen who shows the following signs:
- Repeated self-harming
- Suicidal impulses
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- Severe high blood pressure
- Frequent asthma attacks
Your eating disorder does not define you, nor does it dictate who you will become. — Greta Gleissner LCSW
Factors to Consider When Choosing Treatment
There are lots of professional resources that can help you choose the ideal treatment for your teen. Of course, there are several factors that must be considered for the treatment, including the following:
- Health insurance
- The distance of the treatment facility from your home
- Supportive and responsive programs
- The services being offered in every program
- Treatment model of the program
Bear in mind that having depression and binge-eating disorder combined does not make your teen weak. These conditions simply won’t go away through willpower, and your teen will need to cope with it every day.
The First Steps to Recovery
Accept the fact that your teen has a problem and that it requires mental health treatment. While your teen may feel ashamed because of it, make sure to show your support every step of the way. Choosing the right treatment program and researching information about depression on websites will also help a great deal if you wish for your teen to live a normal and fulfilling future life free of depression and binge eating.
Patients with eating disorders contend with a difficult emotional landscape marked by isolation and loneliness as well as shame, guilt and embarrassment, not to mention a profound hopelessness about the possibilities of emotional connection. — Tom Wooldridge, PsyD, ABPP, CEDS