Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

There are several types of treatment for bulimia nervosa, and as a sufferer you may need one or a combination of two or more of these treatment types. Combining psychotherapy with antidepressants may be the most effective approach for treating bulimia nervosa, but there are instances wherein that are not necessary anymore and what is needed is the support of family and friends in order to overcome the eating disorder. Below is the different treatment for bulimia nervosa available if you are a sufferer or if you know someone who suffer from bulimia.

Psychotherapy is a way of treating bulimia by talking about the condition and any related issues with a professional mental health provider. A type of psychotherapy is known as cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of treatment for bulimia nervosa involves your own thoughts as the main influencing factor on how you behave and not because of what other people think. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you identify unhealthy, negative behaviors and replace them with healthy and positive ones.

Family-based therapy can also be an effective treatment for bulimia nervosa. This is based on the assumption that the sufferer can no longer make sound decisions concerning his or her own health and needs the help and support of the family in order to do so. An important part of family-based therapy is that the family is involved in influencing healthy-eating patterns and helping the sufferer restore lost weight.

Antidepressant medication is another form of treatment for bulimia and may help in reducing the symptoms of bulimia. The only antidepressant specifically approved mental health specialists is the fluoxetine or popularly known as Prozac. Doctors can still prescribe other antidepressants or medications to treat your bulimia. Antidepressants or other psychiatric medications can also help treat other mental disorders related to bulimia such as depression or anxiety.

Treatment for bulimia nervosa can be done even outside of the hospital. But if you the sufferer show signs of serious health complications, you may need treatment in a hospital. Hospitalization may be on a medical or psychiatric ward. There are specialized eating disorder clinics that offer intensive inpatient treatment.

Whatever type of treatment for bulimia one has to undergo, the support of family and friends is always needed in order to achieve a higher and much quicker success rate.