In fact many of the staff may have gone through eating disorders them selves so they understand the feelings and thoughts that are generally associated with anorexia. treatment at clinics of this type is usually tailored to fit the individual themselves as everyone is different in the way anorexia affects them.

Anorexics will all have the same symptoms as the base of there illness but the physiological aspect of the illness will vary from person to person.

At these types of centres specialising in anorexia and eating disorders they have a varied selection of personnel at hand to assist you in your recovery including doctors, psychiatrists, dieticians and counsellors, all of which are there to help both the sufferer and there family.

What Will Happen?

On admission into the programme a full assessment will be given which may include a full medical examination, a nutritional assessment, blood tests and a psychological assessment will be given. Once the results have been collaborated a full personal plan directed at you will be worked out and talked through with you, this will be the basis for your step to recovery from anorexia.

The Treatments

Counselling will be given either as an individual or family therapy or even both if need be, there will also be talks on how to reduce stress, both within you as a person and in the family as a unit. Creative expression can be used as a form of therapy which will allow you to get out all your negative thoughts and feelings and just be yourself.

Aftercare will also be discussed for when you are on the road to recovery this will ascertain how you will be able to cope once the program has been completed and also help with any worries you might have of the anorexia returning in the future.

The Programs

As well as the inpatient programme, this is a dedicated 24 hour program. Usually other options are available such as a day-care programme, this is still a structured programme but the difference being the sufferer is in there own home environment.

Also at many centres of its kind there is an out-patient programme which is usually for the evenings, an after care programme is available at most clinics for those who have progressed through the other programmes to the point they only need weekly help.

Anorexia and Bulimia – The Similarities

Both Anorexia and Bulimia have the same underlying cause – low self-esteem. With today’s society putting so much emphasis on what is perceived as the “perfect” body and weight, those people with eating disorders see themselves as imperfect.

However, that is not the only underlying cause. Depression and abuse – emotional, verbal, sexual and physical – are also common factors that contribute to the eating disorders of Anorexia and Bulimia.

It is important to note that depression and abuse are not always a factor but that it is prevalent in many cases. In addition, in both disorders, eating is out of their power and self-control. Both of their focus is on food, although there are different ramifications.

Anorexia and Bulimia – The Differences

The result of Anorexia and Bulimia on a person’s health is very similar, but the steps leading up to the conditions are not. With Anorexia, a person consciously does not eat in order to achieve what they perceive as the “perfect” body When they look in the mirror, they do not see how gaunt and skeletal they appear. Rather, they see themselves as needing to lose “just a few more pounds.” With Bulimia, a person consumes large quantities of food to numb their feelings.

However, shame and guilt creep in and kick off the urge to purge. They purge via vomiting, excessive exercising, and the use of laxatives or diuretics. Anorexia becomes readily visible once a person drops way below a normal weight.

Yet, with Bulimics, they could appear to have a normal body weight or even appear slightly overweight. Unless you caught them in the act of bingeing or purging, you would most likely never guess there were any problems.

Medical issues are yet another area where Anorexia and Bulimia differ. For instance, with the constant bingeing and purging, Bulimics can suffer from decaying teeth and even stomach and esophagus problems, all stemming from the regurgitation of stomach acids.

People who suffer from Anorexia deal with a variety of health issues like the lack of a menstruation cycle and a lower body temperature. In both eating disorders, they do share some of the same medical problems not listed above like malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances and interruption of body eliminations.

Some of these medical issues lead to stroke or heart attack, which is the leading cause of death in people with eating disorders. So while there are some similarities in these two eating disorders, they are also vastly different.