Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eating Disorders
In our society, eating disorders are prevalent and can present in various forms. Given their prevalence, exploring the different treatments and management strategies employed over time is crucial. One known effective treatment is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which has demonstrated significant benefits for individuals with diagnosed eating disorders.
In this blog post, we will understand more about CBT, how it functions, aids in recovery, and how it empowers individuals with eating disorders to reclaim their best selves.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common psychological therapy used in a multitude of ways to treat disorders and illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and drug and alcohol use. This type of therapy is known to be an effective evidence-based treatment.
What Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Entail, And How Does It Work?
CBT encompasses specific strategies, such as understanding others’ behaviors, using problem-solving skills to navigate situations, developing an understanding of core beliefs, having more confidence in oneself and their decisions, and understanding one’s cognitive distortions. It is essential to understand how CBT can be utilized in the treatment of eating disorders. CBT can be used for a variety of eating disorders and disordered behaviors, such as binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, other specified eating disorders, orthorexia, and anorexia. During CBT sessions, there are several components discussed to understand more about the individual and the eating disorder they may be diagnosed with since each person and eating disorder is different in terms of treatment. These may include challenging food rules, creating strategies that challenge the thoughts that lead to urges for binging and purging behaviors, completing food logs after eating with thoughts and feelings of the meal, as well as psychoeducation to understand more about the root of the eating disorder.
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work With Bulimia Nervosa?
When discussing specific eating disorders that can be managed with CBT, bulimia nervosa is the most well-known. In a study understanding the effectiveness of CBT with bulimia nervosa, two groups of 70 total women were studied. One group contained women who had bulimia nervosa and participated in CBT for five months, and the other group contained women who had bulimia nervosa and participated in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
After five completed months of therapy, 6% of the patients in the psychoanalytic therapy group had stopped binging and purging, while 42% of patients in the CBT treatment group had stopped the binge and purge cycle. As demonstrated from the evidence above, it has been concluded that CBT can be effective in treating bulimia nervosa, along with other eating disorders.
BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, located in New York City, offers free consultation calls to help you explore next steps. We provide in-person programming seven days a week and are in-network with UnitedHealthcare (UHC), Cigna, Emblem, and Oscar, with Aetna coverage coming soon. Support is available, and recovery is possible. Schedule a free consultation call with our admissions team here and stay connected with BALANCE on Instagram here.
Reference
Lauren Muhlheim, P. (2024) Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-eating-disorders-4151114 (Accessed: 01 July 2024).
This post was written by BALANCE Dietetic Intern Halle Falk (she/her).
Halle Falk is a dietetic intern at BALANCE from Westchester, NY. Halle is going into her fourth year studying clinical nutrition at NYU to get her master’s and eventually become a Registered Dietitian.
In her free time, Halle enjoys playing pickleball with friends and explore new restaurants in NYC. She is excited to be an intern at BALANCE and learn more about the treatment and impact of eating disorders.
