Family Advice

Every year thousands of families find themselves embroiled in fighting an eating disorder. Whether it is your wife, brother, child – whoever – the battle against it overwhelms the entire family.

But, whilst you cannot force anyone to accept help, there are ways in which families, if they all pull together, can help a family member to find the road back to health.

Research has discovered that eating disorders have a strong genetic link. Thus, if a member of your family is struggling with an eating disorder then other family members will have a singular understanding of the battle going on inside the individual regarding such things as disordered thinking, poor body image and low self esteem.

Rather than bury the problem, families need to openly discuss the impact of an eating disorder, avoiding the pitfall of being patronizing or hypocritical. The family must also look at hereditary behaviors within the family unit to gently undo the passage of the message to future generations that more control and more perfectionism is better.

Education by means of websites, books, support groups and professional advice will help the individual see how much the family cares and is committed to helping confront and beat the disease. For an eating disorder is a disease, like any other and needs to be treated as such.

Families can also help by living by example. Having a healthy attitude and lifestyle and being a healthy role model will help to make the individual’s treatment easier and the recovery more permanent.

Families can never offer too much support – even if that support is not always appreciated. This, of course, does not mean giving up on eating disorder treatment – rather it means staying positive and supportive even in the face of any challenges that arise.

Very often, eating disorders build from a young age. Thus, by the time it becomes obvious that the sufferer needs help, the disease is deeply seated and presents one of the most difficult challenges the sufferer will ever have to face. The best approach is to formulate a strong team of family members, doctors, nutritionists, eating disorder specialists and therapists who will join forces to present a united front to combat the disorder. This offers the best chance of long-term eating disorder recovery.

Families often try to cope with the situation by using a common sense approach. This is not the way to go about battling an eating disorder, since the mind, being as malnourished as the body, requires a different approach. Professional help can teach the family how to use the language of the eating disorder to 'fight fire with fire' and how to build a network of support around the sufferer, using the tools and techniques of the eating disorder treatment program.

It is vitally important to avoid any hint of negativity. Eating disorder sufferers have a deeply internalized negativity and any additional negativity, whether real or perceived, will merely enforce the disorder. Whilst positive words might not seem, initially, to have an impact, over time the positivity of this support will slowly have a beneficial effect.

As soon as you notice the signs of an eating disorder, you should immediately seek professional help and advice. Eating disorders are powerful and all consuming; failure to receive treatment can literally be fatal for the sufferer.

Some of the warning signs to look for are listed below – but these are by no means inclusive:

• Preoccupation with the body, weight, food, etc.
• Wearing baggy clothing
• Intense competitiveness or, conversely, an extreme need to avoid competition
• Compulsive exercising
• Taking laxatives or diet pills
• Weight loss or gain
• Tooth decay or gum erosion
• Playing with food rather than eating

Families are often the first line of defense in eating disorder treatment. They are the first to notice changes in behavior, the first to notice significant weight gain or loss. But, often, well meaning families think it best to ‘wait and see’, in the hope that the situation will resolve itself. The price of ignoring the situation is simply too high to contemplate. Listen to your intuition and consult your doctor or a registered eating disorder clinic. Do your research to confirm your suspicions. Look online or at the library.

SOVEREIGN HEALTH OF CALIFORNIA:

Offering premium treatment for Eating Disorders to adult men and women.

Sovereign Health of California’s Eating Disorder treatment program is possibly the finest in the US. Our treatment programs are individually tailored to suit the specific needs of the sufferer. We treat both men and women over the age of 18.

Our clients stay in our comfortable residential, gender specific residences, situated in the picturesque coastal community of San Clemente, California. Should you take advantage of this opportunity you will have access to additional encouragement from your peers, as well as supportive supervision at all meals.

The Eating Disorder staff at Sovereign Health of California represents a broad spectrum of professional expertise. You will receive the benefit of caring and experienced attention from licensed practitioners in the fields of:

• Psychiatry
• Family Practice Medicine
• Psychology
• Nutrition
• Family Therapy
• Nursing

In addition to the opportunity to work with our clinical staff, you will have access to therapeutic opportunities that are unique to Sovereign Health of California, ranging from participating in equine therapy to working in our Cognitive Lab where state of the art computer programs facilitate neurobehavioral training to enhance your recovery.