Treatment for eating disorders
Seeking help early
It can be difficult for anyone to acknowledge they have an eating disorder. But if you, or someone you know, are facing disordered eating issues, the important thing is to seek help as early as possible because it is very difficult to get better on your own. Eating disorders not only make you feel physically unwell, they also affect your thoughts and feelings about yourself.
Enjoying a full recovery from an eating disorder is highly achievable, particularly when help is sought early on and treatment followed through a structured programme. Treatment for an eating disorder can be life-changing.
Priory has a number of eating disorders units where experienced professionals spend most of their lives helping people like you. While there are quite a few things no one knows about these illnesses, there is a lot we do know about successful treatment. This will be extremely difficult for you because all of your impulses are to avoid treatment and this is one of the things keeping you ill. Over the years we have helped thousands of people like you to create the necessary changes that have enabled them to lead happy, fulfilled lives. We hope that you will allow us to help you, too. Please call 0845 2 PRIORY (that's 0845 2 774679).
We offer treatment for:
Treatment options
Eating disorders are complex conditions and often require a number of different professionals working together to treat them. Treatment for an eating disorder is all about selecting what is most appropriate; this will mainly depend on the type and severity of the disorder. Other issues to consider are the length of time the disorder has continued, as well as the patient's individual preferences and their capacity for treatment.
As a Priory patient you will be under the care of a consultant psychiatrist who specialises in eating disorders and leads a team of nurses, therapists, psychologists, dietitians and educational staff who are dedicated to treating patients just like you. Before treatment begins you will have an initial assessment based on your physical, psychological and social needs; from this we will create a treatment programme that meets all your needs in a safe and supportive environment.
You will be part of a group of people who have eating disorders, people whose life experiences and illnesses have similarities with yours, offering a great source of friendship and support as you begin your journey towards health and well-being.
Our care packages cover all your needs on your journey from illness to health, through inpatient, day care, step-down and outpatient treatment. Together they form a framework that ensures everyone we treat receives a consistently high standard of care, no matter where in the country or at what point on your journey you are admitted. Our care packages are regularly evaluated and audited and comply with NICE guidelines, so you can rest assured that you will receive the best quality care possible.
Treatment objectives
In line with the latest developments the aim of treatment is to:
- Help you establish and maintain a healthy weight and relationship with food
- Develop an understanding of the eating disorder and the underlying causes
- Help you develop coping strategies and practical skills to manage these issues
- Provide you with the support you need for emotional development and psychological growth
Therapy
To achieve this, a wide variety of individual and group therapies will be included in your therapeutic programme. Individual cognitive behaviour therapy and analytical psychotherapy, family therapy, art therapy, assertiveness groups, body image groups and other supportive and educational groups are included in the programme. These help patients to explore their relationship with food and learn to develop healthy eating.