anorexia Nervosa

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What is it?

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People who suffer from anorexia often try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both. They often have an intense fear of weight gain and may also have a distorted image of their bodies. Sometimes people struggling with anorexia also engage in other behaviours such as bingeing and/or purging.

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What does treatment for anorexia involve?

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The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2017)

guidelines recommends three treatments for anorexia in adults:

 

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Enhanced for Eating

    Disorders (CBT-E)

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2. Maudsley Model of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for

    Adults (MANTRA)

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3. Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM)

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For children and young people with anorexia Family Based Treatment (FBT) is the recommended approach.

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Please Note: Treating Disorders does not work with individuals whose BMI falls below 16.5 due to the medical implications of being at such a low weight, which would benefit from the combined care of a multidisciplinary team. Similarly, we do not work with children or adolescents with a weight for height percentage of below 85%.

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Helpful resources

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• NICE Guidelines for Anorexia Nervosa treatment: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng69/chapter/Recommendations#treating-anorexia-nervosa

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•  Beat Eating Disorders - UK Eating Disorders Charity with helpful advice, support and resources: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/types/anorexia

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• Anorexia and Bulimia Care offers telephone and email support for eating disoder sufferers and their carers - https://www.anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk/

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