The fear of vomiting can become so all-consuming and terrifying that eating becomes a struggle and weight loss becomes dangerous. As sufferers try to protect themselves from throwing up, their world shrinks until it becomes impossible to work, go to school, or to socialize. This was Kay prior to treatment.
While the seriousness of eating disorders should not be underestimated, eating disorders are not hopeless. Getting a diagnosis is only the first step towards recovery from an eating disorder. Eating disorder treatment and recovery involves intervention, professional treatment, and ongoing support.
Please note that eating disorders are complex and some eating issues will not meet diagnostic criteria. All eating concerns must be taken seriously.
Eating disorders are serious but treatable illnesses that involve irregular eating habits and a severe concern about body weight, shape, or overall appearance. They affect all genders, although rates among women and girls are 2.5 times greater than among men and boys. Transgender individuals experience eating disorders at rates significantly higher than cisgender individuals (Diemer et al., 2015).
Just announced! Live, free webinar with Ken Goodman - How to Free Yourself from the Fear of Vomit and Reclaim Your Life: A Healing Journey Shared by Therapist and Patient - February 25, 2021 - 1:00 pm EST. Register today!
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Jennifer L. Taitz, PsyD
Director, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
American Institute for Cognitive Therapy
Dr. Taitz explains how the skills and strategies learned in dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, can help people who have anxiety and depression. Skills include mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
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A residential treatment center (RTC), sometimes called a rehab, is a live-in health care facility providing therapy for substance abuse, mental illness, or other behavioral problems.
had told me several years ago that everything would get better, I would have nodded while screaming disbelief inside my head. I thought things simply could not get better, that I'd be forever feel imprisoned in a dark room.