What Is The Recommended Remedy For Bulimics Suffering From Bulimia Nervosa?

The recommended non-medicated treatment for bulimia are psychological therapy and one on one counseling. Only in cases that are severe and with a patient’s non-response to the initial treatments is hospitalization necessary.

The most popular treatments for bulimia is cognitive behavioral therapy. Since studies have shown that this treatment is effective in over 50 percent of the cases, this is frequently the first treatment of choice. For learning coping skills and relapse prevention, nutrition counseling is included in cognitive behavioral therapy. You can also try interpersonal therapy treatment. This type of therapy deals with the emotional aspects like depression that influenced the eating disorder. If bulimia is caught early on, and the patient is still in relatively good health, support group therapy can help. Another treatment that might work is family therapy. Reports have been positive on this treatment compared to interpersonal therapy since a vital support mechanism such as the family is utilized and given support to as well.

Patients who have shown signs of depression have responded well to medications to treat their bulimia. It is advised by the experts, though, that CBT, a psychological therapy, is done in combination with drugs. Antidepressants are in the form of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Other drugs are also given to patients such as those that prevent vomiting. Occasional anti-epileptic drugs are prescribed since tests have reflected that they can help with periods of binging and purging. Bulimic patients are benefited by B vitamin drugs originally prescribed for depression and bipolar disorder.

There are other treatments for bulimia as well that have been explored. However more studies are to be conducted and the effectiveness of these treatments have yet to be proven for a wide number of cases. Hypnosis, light therapy, guided imagery and acupuncture are some of the less traditional treatments.

Hypnosis as a treatment is more effective on women patients with bulimia, but those patients that have developed anorexia are resistant to this treatment. When a patient’s bulimia is related to seasonal affective disorder then light therapy is used. However, the effectiveness of its use is more directed in the relief of depression rather than on correcting the binge-purge behavior of bulimic patients. Guided imagery on the other hand has been reported by studies to reduce the binge-purge behavior by almost 75%. In this method, the patient listens to audiotapes where images are evoked that will help in achieving treatment goals. In acupuncture, points in the stomach are selected so that the qi is balanced and proper circulation of oxygen and blood is maintained. This treatment is based on the idea that eating disorders are due to energy imbalances in the body. This therapeutic method allegedly causes endorphins to be emitted, minimizes stress, and boosts the digestive and endocrine functions.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!