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Anorexia Nervosa - Home Treatment
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
Continuing good care at home will help you recover from anorexia nervosa. Set goals with your doctor, mental health professional, and registered dietitian. Include goals in the areas of:
- Learning new eating behaviors.
- Learning emotional self-care.
- Developing trust in people who are trying to help you.
Ask your family members to also support your emotional and physical goals for healing. If someone close to you has trouble understanding eating disorders, share what you have learned in treatment.
Although not part of the treatment of anorexia, relieving stress can help you recover, improve your quality of life, and stay healthy. For more information on reducing stress, see the topic Stress Management.
For family members
All families have patterns that can get in the way of change. To make healthy change easier, have everyone in the family take a look at how they handle their loved one's eating disorder.
- See a family therapist to help you find new ways to handle frustration, worry, grief, anger, and power struggles.
- Helping a loved one with anorexia includes showing support, avoiding power struggles, and focusing as little as possible on food and eating.
- Help for family members of a person with anorexia includes individual and family counseling and paying attention to the needs of all family members.
Keep in mind that severe weight loss makes a person unable to think clearly or function well in daily life. This is a sign that a loved one needs medical care.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: February 23, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine W. Stewart Agras, MD - Psychiatry | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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