Types Of Eating Disorder Treatment and Treatment Model By Vicki Berkus M.D., Ph.D., CEDS, Remuda Ranch Medical Advisor Over the years, there have been many theories proposed to try to explain the causes of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (BED). They include the social model, the learned model, the moral model, and the disease model, which is the one that we use at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows.
The Types of ED Treatment Models Before you choose an eating disorder treatment program, it’s important to understand the treatment philosophy that guides it. Some of the most commonly used models are… The Social Model The social model says that the patient has been socially pressured to act out in their eating disorder. I have had patients tell me that they have to move because if they go back to the beach, there are too many triggers and they will relapse in their eating disorder or substance abuse behaviors. The Learned Model The learned model suggests that patients had eating disorders because of what they learned from their families or their peer groups (Twenty years ago, we mostly blamed Mom). They restricted their food intake because friends or other members of their family did the same. The Moral Model The moral model says that an eating disorder is an inherent moral weakness, and if the patient wanted to, she could just eat.
Why the Disease Model? If I asked you if you were comfortable calling diabetes a disease, I bet most of you would say yes. Rarely do we ask ourselves why we are comfortable labeling some health problems as “diseases” and not others. There are several criteria we use to label something a “disease”. These criteria include: A Biological Cause. We know in diabetes there is a problem with the pancreas producing too little insulin or defective insulin. There are also multiple biological causes of eating disorders, including genetics, biochemical neurotransmitter problems, physical issues, and trauma issues resulting in hormonal changes and the effects of malnutrition as the disease progresses. Discernible Symptoms A disease usually has discernible symptoms. For example, with diabetes, you get the polydipsia (thirst), polyphagia (hunger) and polyuria (frequent urination).
The symptoms of anorexia include a fear of getting fat, inability to see their body as others, rituals, weight loss, restricting, etc; symptoms of bulimia are purging by vomiting, laxative abuse or compulsive exercise; and symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) are a feeling of being out of control around food, losing the ability to feel full, bloating, GI complaints. Progressive Course A disease usually involves a progressive course. Diabetes, when left untreated, can result in blindness, foot infections, kidney failure, diabetic coma, etc. Eating disorders also follow a progressive course. Anorexia is the leading cause of death of any mental health problem. The system shuts down from restriction in noticeable ways. Bulimia can result in bleeding from the esophageal vessels, heart failure, and erosion of GI tract from uric acid in the stomach. Laxative abuse can lead to the colon shutting down. Excessive exercise can lead to stress fractures, dehydration, and bone loss. Both of these eating disorders can eventually lead to death. The progressive nature of eating disorder is why finding the right treatment for the patient is so important. Treatment Some type of treatment is available for most diseases. Diabetics use insulin, diet, pills, and sometimes pancreatic transplant. Patients with eating disorders have a range of treatment options. We support patients starting at an acute in-patient program and experiencing success as they transition to residential (24 hr care), then to PHP (partial hospitalization), then to IOP (intensive outpatient, and finally outpatient care with a therapist, nutritionist, and medical provider. It is so hard to convince patients that taking a short cut around any of these steps often leads to relapse into ED behaviors. Remuda Ranch can Help We know it takes time and a dedicated team to deliver the best treatment for eating disorders. Our team of caring experts delivers personalized hospital-level care, in a beautiful home-like environment. We can also help guide the patients through almost every stage of recovery, from acute care to residential care, to intensive outpatient. Call us today at 866-390-5100 to find out more about how we can help.