Recovery is Possible

The most important thing for you to know is that recovery is possible. We have compiled a list of steps that can be taken to facilitate the recovery process but it is imperative to consult with a professional to support your specific situation. There are a variety of thatputic models that can aid in eating disorder recovery. They may include:

Family-Based Treatment (FBT): Also called Maudsley Approach, family-based treatment be used to help break secrecy surrounding a disorder, rebuild trust, and teach families how to give effective support. This is currently the most effective evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents.

Group therapy: Group therapy can help the individual feel like they are not alone in their illness. It can help them to cope with disappointments, celebrate their recovery victories and deal with any shame they are feeling.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT can change negative thought and behavioural patterns and focuses on creating personal coping strategies. This is currently the most effective evidence-based treatment for adults. It can also help to improve the perception of body image.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Focuses on providing emotional therapy for individuals. This includes teaching mindfulness, increasing negative emotional tolerance, overall emotional regulation and positive interpersonal communication.

Emotion-focused therapy (EFT): EFT teaches individuals how to create safe and healthy relationships with themselves and the people around them3. Eating disorders can often be caused by past trauma or hidden feelings that the individual may have. EFT can provide the tools to help recognize and deal with the cause of the eating disorder.

Getting Assessed

Talk to your doctor. Most people will want to consult their family physician as the first step of treatment. However, doctors receive very little training in eating disorders. Of the 4,100 registered psychiatrists in Canada, only 12 specialize in eating disorders 1. Therefore, it is important to speak to them openly and honestly about your symptoms. When you speak to your doctor, it may be helpful to bring this questionnaire to help facilitate the consultation.

Download questionnaire

Treatment

Eating disorder treatment depends on your disorder and your symptoms. There are typically four tiers of treatment offered to Canadians in specialized facilities for those suffering from eating disorders.

Outpatient Treatment: The individual receives therapy from a psychologist and/or dietician once or multiple times per week.
Inpatient Treatment: The individual is admitted to a hospital and is treated and monitored extensively in that setting. This type of treatment is ideally reserved for those who are medically unstable and require constant supervision by medical professionals.

Day Treatment: The individual goes to a full-day program multiple times per week where they receive various forms of psychological therapy, meal-time supervision, and nutritional guidance and counselling.
Residential Treatment: The individual stays in a home-like setting where they receive meal-time supervision and participate in various forms of psychological therapy as well as receive nutritional guidance and counselling from a dietician. There are currently no residential treatment programs offered in Alberta.

Nutrition

Dietitian's can help you develop a plan to maintain healthy eating habits. This may include:

Education about how nutrition affects your body
Meal planning
Establishing regular eating patterns — generally, three meals a day with regular snacks
Taking steps to avoid dieting
Helping you to recognize and manage thought patterns that affect your food intake

Talking to Professionals

You will work with trained professionals, who will help develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs. It is important to remember to ask questions, as this is about your future recovery and well-being!

Keep in mind that you are interviewing the practitioner and they will be open to answering any questions you have. They are here to aid your recovery process and provide support. For more information on how to find the right professional for you, see our resource page.

What to expect in recovery

It is important to remember that while relapse is possible, not every slip is a relapse. It can be discouraging and overwhelming to experience a slip in the middle of recovery. Every day will be the start of new recovery and will have a new battle attached to it.

Eating disorders can carry a sense of “black and white” thinking and discouragement about slips can hinder recovery. Remember that if your loved one does relapse, this is a normal and common part of recovery. Don’t give up!

“Though weight and eating habits may change during treatment, the real battle is overcoming the negative thought processes that were created about food and the individual’s weight and body.
”

A qualitative study on eating disorders identified
six different categories for the success of recovery:

Internal motivation to change. Many people who have eating disorders will either be in denial that they have an eating disorder or they will deny that it is a problem. It is important to encourage and support your loved one but until they decide to make changes for themselves, recovery will be slow.
Recovery is a process: It is important to remember that recovery is a work in progress. Eating disorders are not about food or weight, they are about an internal struggle that is more difficult to change. It will take a lot of time, patience and support. Don’t get discouraged if your loved one slips.
Perceptions about treatment: It can be valuable to have support from those who are going through similar experiences (example support groups). Eating disorders hold deeper issues that are not easily talked about or understood unless you have one. One of the steps to recovery is believing that it will work.
Developing a life outside of eating disorders: Eating disorders can be all consuming for those involved. Supportive relationships are incredibly beneficial to have during times of uncertainty and recovery. In addition, to support during recovery, it can help to develop relationships and a sense of normality outside of their disorder.
Awareness and tolerance of negative emotion: Eating disorders carry a lot of shame and negative self-talk. This is one of the hardest aspects of eating disorders to overcome, however it IS possible.
Self-validation: In addition to negative emotions, positive reassurance from the individual themselves can also help improve recovery.

Get An Informed Opinion

If you are seeking support for yourself or a loved one with an eating disorder, you can connect with our Community Navigator. You can book an appointment here to get expert guidance on next steps.

More Expert Information

Explore our Video Resource Library, a series of videos exploring themes related to eating disorder recovery with interviews from psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, nurses and dieticians who practice include EDs.

If you need help finding a specialist, check our our guide ‘how-to find a specialist’

Another helpful tool for parents navigating their child’s eating disorder:
mentalhealthfoundations.ca/ed-parent-webinar.