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Symptoms |
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Poor self-esteem.
Negative body image.
Obsessed about food.
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Treatment Plan
Get help immediately. An eating disorder rarely goes away on its own. For the sufferer, dealing with the underlying psychological problems of the eating disorder is just as important as understanding the nutritional and medical dangers. Medications such as antidepressants can help. Psychotherapy and nutritional counseling can help break through the thought processes that enable the eating disorder. Treatments should be run simultaneously.
You may also need medical care to treat anemia, bone loss, kidney, heart and other health problems caused by your eating disorder.
Group therapy or support groups with other people suffering from eating disorders can also help.
Children, teens and adults being treated with antidepressants, particularly anyone being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior. Close watching may be especially important early in treatment or when the dose is changed - either increased or decreased. Bring up your concerns immediately with a doctor.
Paxil may increase the risk for birth defects, particularly heart defects, when women take it during the first three months of pregnancy, according to a 2005 advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is waiting for the results of recent studies to better understand the higher risk. Discuss with your doctor about the health risks of Paxil if you plan to become pregnant or are in the first three months of pregnancy. You may want to consider taking a different antidepressant. Do not stop taking the drug without first talking to your doctor.
More on Eating Disorders Eating Toward a Healthy Weight
Eating Disorders: What family and Friends Can Do
Treatments for Eating Disorders
In the Encyclopedia: Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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