How Do You Treat BED?
Professional help from specialists skilled in treating eating disorders is advised for anyone struggling with BED. An effective treatment team generally includes a psychiatrist, psychologist and registered dietitian.
Key elements in effective treatment include:
- Compassion, caring and support. From those treating BED as well as those who are being treated. The last part is very important; people who struggle with BED and other eating disorders can significantly benefit by becoming more compassionate towards themselves and their struggle, opening the door to understanding what is going on underneath the eating.
- Psychotherapy. Whether it be individual or group-based therapy, exploring the underlying issues that are part of a person’s struggle with BED is key to understanding how to treat it effectively. Research supports the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, Internal Family Systems therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy in the treatment of BED. Other modalities are available and may be effective but have not been researched yet.
- Predictable eating. This means eating regularly and eating well-balanced meals and snacks. People with BED may not be able to tell when they are hungry, so starting to eat every 3-5 hours or so can be a good strategy to help prevent overeating that comes from getting too hungry. A balance of protein foods, starchy foods, vegetables and/or fruit at meals helps provide the nutrients that support appetite regulation.
- Non-judgment about food. Giving up notions of “good” and “bad” foods helps a person decide how much they really want of different foods. When we believe we shouldn’t or can’t have something, yet we really like it, we set up a push-pull dynamic that often leads to overeating.
- Self-monitoring tools. Often, these are a form of food journaling. But they are not the diet diaries of old that were used to control eating. Instead, they are used to gain awareness of patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. A food journal that includes a hunger scale can help a binge eater get back in touch with how they feel when they are hungry and when they are satisfied. An eating/emotions journal in which a person records how they feel emotionally before, during and after eating can help raise awareness of the emotions that drive eating.
- Physical activity. People who binge eat often say they live from the neck up. They’re disconnected from their bodies. Physical activity helps reconnect the head to the body, to aid people in better recognizing what their body needs to feel well. Physical activity is also a great stress reducer. It’s counter-productive to think of physical activity as a way to burn calories; that makes it something that is done more as a punishment than as a way to feel better.
http://bingebehavior.com/spotlight/binge-eating-disorder-the-what-why-and-what-it-takes-to-treat-it