- A number of effective treatments for Eating Disorders exist. These have been systematically appraised in the Australian, UK, Dutch and U.S. Eating Disorder guidelines. Specific information for patients and careers on treatment can be found at http://www.nice.org.uk and at http://www.besttreatments.co.uk.
- Anorexia Nervosa: The critical first step in treatment of Anorexia Nervosa is re-nutrition (carefully monitored feeding, often with the assistance of a medical team) and weight restoration back to the healthy weight range. There is no consensus on the best approaches to treating Anorexia Nervosa, but family therapy appears to be helpful for younger patients who have recently developed an eating disorder. CBT may be helpful after weight restoration.
- Bulimia Nervosa: A review of research studies concluded that Bulimia Nervosa can be treated effectively with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of psychotherapy that addresses an individual’s thoughts and feelings to make changes in their behavior. Improvement in symptoms over a short period of time are also seen with the only FDA approved medication for Bulimia Nervosa – fluoxetine (i.e., Prozac).
- Binge Eating Disorder: Binge Eating Disorder also responds to cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavioral weight loss therapy and a variety of medications (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants) have also been shown to lead to improvement.