Compensatory behaviours
- Self-induced vomiting
- Laxative misuse
- Diuretic misuse
- Misuse of other medications (e.g. diet pills, insulin)
- Fasting or significant dietary restriction
- Excessive exercise
There are many reasons which may start you believing you need to control your weight and it may build up gradually before it becomes a cycle of binge eating and unhealthy behaviours. You may feel these eating behaviours achieve weight loss or a sustainment at a certain level of weight.
You may start to have impulsive eating habits where you crave food and feel a compulsion to binge with large amount of food. Following this, you may feel a number of negative feelings and thoughts which lead you to ‘purge’. Feelings such as guilt, self-disgust, embarrassment, anxiety, despair, fear and a negative spiral of deprecatory self-talk.
A full assessment is provided to identify your diagnosis, needs and treatment goals. Bulimia is different for every person and how it affects your life can be mild to extreme. The level it impacts on you will determine the right treatment programme. We use a number of assessment tools that support a diagnosis of bulimia and will also assess your physical health which can be clear indicators of binging and purging behaviours.
We know that good mental health has an impact on your physical wellbeing and vice versa. When you feel physically compromised your mental wellbeing suffers. We will address both your physical and mental health in a holistic way. By this we mean that we will ensure that we look at every aspect of your life, your relationships and your relationship with food. To offer you a new perspective on life, at Schoen Clinic we take medical, psychological and social factors into account in your treatment. Consultant psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and therapists work together to support you in managing stress and permanently regaining healthy eating habits.
Treatment for bulimia supports you to establish regular eating habits that reduce the urge to binge eat. We understand that this can be challenging, especially where there is body image concern and a fear of weight gain. At the same time as helping you to change your eating pattern, we give you the tools and the confidence to challenge some of the thinking patterns that kept the bulimia going, and to manage your emotions differently.
For most people, outpatient treatment for bulimia is effective and they do not need more intensive treatment.
This usually consists of around 16 sessions of weekly cognitive behavioural therapy focused on your eating disorder (CBT-E). For some people, especially where there is self-harm or trauma, dialectical behavioural therapy or psychodynamically informed eating disorders therapy may be more helpful.
Our day care programme offers more intensive treatment. It is suitable for people who have not been able to make progress as an outpatient, or who are very unwell with bulimia, e.g. with physical complications.
In our day programme, we focus on individual therapy, physical healthcare, nutritional management, group interventions and mental health and wellbeing.
Our team of experts consist of consultant psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, therapists, dieticians, and specialist nurses who work together as a multidisciplinary team for the benefit of every patient in the treatment of bulimia.
Our specialised clinics offer you a personalised treatment programme in the treatment of bulimia with three different locations across the UK.
13a Radnor Walk
London SW3 4BP
Tel: +44 20 3146 2300
147 Chester Road
Birmingham B74 3NE
Tel: +44 121 580 8362
Minster Grange, Haxby Road
York YO31 8TA
Tel: +44 1904 404400