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October 11th 2020 07:44 AM

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Interventions for Eating Disorders for Teens

Teen years are not the easiest part of life by any stretch of the imagination. It can be exhausting. Not only is there the intense pressure to perform your best on academic work, there are also love interests, puberty, and the brain is still developing while all this is happening!

One of the most difficult things for teens to deal with is possibly the intense social pressure that almost seems to come out of nowhere. All of a sudden, teens are really interested in what their peers think, and look to society to model their life around accordingly so as to best to fit in and be a societal definition of success.

Weight and looks have a huge impact on teens which can cause some less than desirable effects. This piece will look at interventions for eating disorders with teens and how to help.

Why Do Teens Get Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders do not discriminate. They are caused by a number of issues, can affect any gender, any age, and last for any period of time. Often associated with trauma or body image problems, teens are often an age group that suffers from eating disorders because of such an emotionally turbulent growth period and the adjustment to adulthood. That being said, eating disorders are treatable and there is more than one treatment available to help those who are suffering on the path to recovery.

CBT Intervention and Eating Disorders

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also known as CBT, is a fantastic therapy treatment for a variety of mental health issues. This intervention works with eating disorders to allow the patients to change their behavioral patterns. Examples would be to defy their own food rules or exposure to ‘fear foods’ in order to change the way they see food. There is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to CBT which is why it can work well for many individuals.

It is also important to note that there are several branches of CBT therapy which offer different methods, which means if one type of cognitive therapy is not successful, then another one could have a much better outcome.

Inpatient Intervention for Eating Disorders

For those on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to eating disorder severity, an inpatient treatment might be recommended. This is nothing to be concerned about and specialists are on hand continuously to offer that additional support for those who are experiencing extreme physical or mental health issues as a result of an eating disorder. If you feel like you or someone else needs this extra support, then please feel free to visit edentreatment.com and ask any questions you might have.

Medication Intervention for Eating Disorders

While there are currently no medications approved to directly treat eating disorders, many patients have had success after using SSRI antidepressants in combination with other therapies. This will need to be discussed with your doctor to make sure it is the right course of action for you, but can help those who are struggling to manage negative feelings or moods that are associated with eating disorders.

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