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Emotional self-care and developing trust in the health professionals is an important part of recovery and may include:

• Learning new eating behaviors.
• Learning emotional self-care.
• Developing trust in people who are trying to help you

If a person's condition is severe or life-threatening, initial treatment in a hospital first will include:

• Treating starvation. This can include treating medical problems it has caused, such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or heart problems. Sometimes, fluids and nutrition are given through a tube placed into the stomach through the nose (nasogastric tube) or through an IV.
• Nutritional rehabilitation. The focus of treatment is gaining weight carefully and gradually, knowing when the body is hungry and full, and learning healthy eating patterns.

Anorexia: Learning new eating behaviors

People who have anorexia nervosa often have difficulty at mealtimes. The following may help you develop more healthy eating behaviors:

• Set a reasonable weight for yourself. Decide the amount of weight you will gain each week.
• During meals, try to eat slowly and gradually and not allow yourself to get overwhelmed with the idea of eating a meal.
• Talk with other people during meals about things that interest you. Do not talk about the food you are eating or your concerns about gaining weight.
• Resist the temptation to argue with the people who are eating with you. Arguing increases tension and stress and may make it more difficult for you to relax.
• Trust that the other people working with you can help you overcome your incorrect ideas about food.
• Pay attention to the amount of stress you have in your life. Ask for help to reduce your stress.

Emotional self-care and eating disorders

People who have eating disorders are often very critical of themselves. Learning to be easier on yourself is very important.

• Pace yourself if you are feeling weak. Everything you do may take more time and effort. Do not expect to do all the things you want to do right away. Choose what is most important and do those things first. Break larger tasks into smaller ones and do what you can.
• Remember that negative thinking (feeling bad about yourself, feeling hopeless, and thinking you are unattractive) are part of your condition. As you work with the health professionals, you will start to feel better about yourself.
• Remember that it takes time to recover from unhealthy eating habits. Your body needs time to readjust itself. As you begin to eat in a healthier way, you will feel better and have more energy.
• Do not expect too much from yourself too soon. Your desire to have all things in order is probably not achievable. Learn to accept your good qualities.
• Spend time with other people. Do things you like to do. If you do not have any hobbies, try something new and see whether you like it. Resist the temptation to give up on something too soon.
• Do not blame yourself for your condition or try to find out why this is happening to you. It is better to work on getting better than to spend time trying to answer questions that may not have answers.
• Cooperate with the health professionals working with you. Resist the temptation to avoid new ways of looking at yourself and your situation. Learn to accept your good points.

Anorexia: Developing trust in the people who are helping you

Sometimes people with anorexia nervosa are not able to trust health professionals and other caring adults who are trying to help them. There are many reasons for this, including anxiety about eating food and gaining weight, difficulty concentrating because of lack of nutrients, and needing to unlearn incorrect information at the same time as they learn new, correct information about healthy eating and exercising.

If you or someone you love is diagnosed with an eating disorder, know that it may take some time to develop trust in the people who are trying to help, but this can be done through practice. You can work at developing trust by:

• Listening to what they are saying about healthy eating without looking for ways to argue with them.
• Asking to read some information that supports what they say about food.
• Learning about what is included in a balanced diet, and then discussing what you have learned with those trying to help.
• Letting people know how you are feeling and listening to how they are feeling.
• Trying to concentrate on one goal at a time. This helps to keep things simple.
• Accepting support and feedback from other people.
• Focusing on your breathing to calm yourself when you start to feel anxious.

Anorexia and Fluoxetine
Recent research indicates that the medication fluoxetine (such as Prozac) may help reduce relapse of this disorder. Seeking early diagnosis and treatment can play a significant role in preventing the illness from progressing to a more serious condition.

While there is no way to prevent anorexia, there are many ways adults can help children and teens develop a healthy view of themselves and learn to approach food and exercise with a positive attitude. Doing this may prevent some children and teens from developing anorexia.

next: Ongoing Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

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Reviewed: 03/2006