It's Not Easy to Care for Loved Ones With Eating Disorders

March 15, 2023

Featuring:
Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS, MD, DFAPA, CEDS-C

Managing life with this mental health challenge is tough. Learn how you can cope with it.

Someone with a diagnosed eating disorder has exhibited notable impairments in their behaviors, cognition and feeding patterns. As a result, body weight and/or size has an excessive influence on feelings of self-worth and esteem.

This behavior usually comes at the expense of physical well-being and interpersonal functionality. For instance, the disruption of hormones from nutritional deficiencies can lead to sexual dysfunction and reproductive challenges, putting extra stress on romantic relationships and potentially causing separation.

Whether it's the effects of starvation from anorexia nervosa, compensatory purging behaviors from bulimia nervosa or overeating from binge eating disorder (BED), each type of eating disorder comes with its own considerations and potentially deadly medical repercussions.

In order to live fulfilling lives with a prosperous career and healthy, long-term relationships, people with an eating disorder must deal with it indefinitely. Support from partners and loved ones makes all the difference because eating disorders are regarded as family diseases.

The impact of eating disorders is universal, so knowing how to properly care for loved ones with a disorder—which may include yourself—is critical for everyone in the patient's circle of support.

Read the Full Article

Eating Recovery Center is accredited through the Joint Commission. This organization seeks to enhance the lives of the persons served in healthcare settings through a consultative accreditation process emphasizing quality, value and optimal outcomes of services.

Organizations that earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ have met or exceeded The Joint Commission’s rigorous performance standards to obtain this distinctive and internationally recognized accreditation. Learn more about this accreditation here.

joint commission gold seal