Survive Eating Disorders With Depression Treatment

While the continuing efforts of health organizations and other concerned groups against the “idealized” concept of thinness are resulting in improved eating habits and self-image for a lot of people, there are still those that struggle with their weight, eating habits, and personal demons.

To Eat or Not to Eat?

Recent studies indicated that at least eight million Americans are suffering from eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. Of this number, seven million are women from varying age ranges. According to statistics gathered by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 20% of people who suffer from eating disorders die prematurely due to complications like suicide and heart diseases. Twenty percent may not shock people who think they are invincible – that binge-eating and purging will not harm them at all – but that percentage includes young girls and women; young lives that have been wasted without the interference of treatment.

Due to the pervasive nature of eating disorders, counselling and teaching about proper nutrition is not enough. The usual culprits behind the desire of patients to get thin are psychiatric issues. Research led by Amori Yee Mikami from the University of Virginia indicated that girls who have Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are likely to suffer from eating disorders as they grow older. Other psychiatric issues related to the development of eating disorders include anxiety, social phobia, and depression.

The Missing Link

Through the years, traditional treatment for eating disorders only included “talk” therapy, various forms of counselling, and endless teachings about proper disorders. But what most of the general population do not understand is that people who suffer from eating disorders are often unable to control their habits. The disorder is not an exclusively psychological one – talks about self-image can only get them so far. The problem is that their brains have been wired differently due to an imbalance of chemicals and hormones that makes them depressed or excessively anxious about how they look. The eating disorder is usually just an offshoot of this problem; it is the patients’ response to what their brains are telling them to feel. So like with most forms of treatment, the best way to go about helping people with eating disorders is to go directly to the source: depression.

Psychiatrist Timothy Walsh, M.D., of Columbia University believes in a multifaceted approach to treating eating disorders that target the disorder, the weight problem, and the depression itself. In simple terms, an ideal treatment for eating disorders includes three approaches: talk therapy for boosting self-image; cognitive behavioral therapy for better eating and lifestyle habits, and most importantly, medication for depression treatment.

A New Hope

Many studies, including one that indicates its efficacy in managing behavioral and substance abuse disorders, have attested to the benefits of using the antidepressant fluoxetine for treatment. A prescription medication for depression and other related disorders, fluoxetine is also available under the brand name Prozac. For those who are interested in using fluoxetine or Prozac for treating eating disorders, a thorough consultation with a doctor is strongly advised.