Eating Disorders and Therapy
In this paper I will be discussing various eating disorders and ways in which occupational therapists along with physical therapists may treat such problems along with issues that patients may present upon attempting to treat them. Occupational and physical therapists often work side by side to treat patients that are recovering from a disease or a surgery to help them regain their ability to perform daily routine. Eating disorder affects approximately one percent of female population in the ratio of 2-3 women to one man (Fisher, B. A., & Schenkman, M., 2012). The three major categories of eating disorders are: Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and Binge eating disorder, along with other specified feeding or …show more content…
A., & Schenkman, M., 2012). Such disorders do not only impact the physical well being of a patient but mental as well. The effects of such illness touches pretty much every aspect of life just as any other psychological disorder. Patients diagnosed with an eating disorder often cannon carry out everyday tasks such as shopping, cooking food, interacting with others, doing school work or even going to work on regular bases. Some patients may have low hygiene due to the fact that they have a horrible body image of themselves and thus cleaning or even touching their body may lead to negative thoughts and therefore avoidance of such routine. One of the side affects of starving yourself is loss of memory, concentration, and ability to think clearly along with increased anxiety and obsessional thinking (Clark, M., & Nayar, S., 2012). Since these patients have body image problems and therefore low self-esteem, which leads to not wanting to socialize with others and withdraw from social world along with family. Shopping for groceries may take a much longer time due to reading of the nutrition labels on every food item along with making difficult choices on what to eat in order to stay the same weight, which again, effects the time left in the day for work, friends, and other activities. Excessive exercising may be another …show more content…
The ultimate first step for the occupational or physical therapist would be trying to assess what is the foundation of the patient’s believes following with an attempt to make that patient aware of the side affects this disease causes on the aspects of life. This can be done only if the patient and the therapist have the same ideas on how to treat the disorder. It is found to be beneficial for the patient to engage in certain physical activities based on the therapist’s careful evaluation. For instance, patient’s with binge eating disorder shows improvement after starting to perform physical activity due to reduction of anxiety because of the expenditure of calories during the exercise (Herpertz, S., Hagenah, U., 2011). Overall, the Eating Disorders present many complications about how to design a proper program for an individual patient’s needs. Whether it is a physical or occupational therapist, they must obtain as much of the insight of the individual’s views on how they understand their problem and whether they are willing to work on getting better. Therapists must also take in consideration patient’s physical capabilities. It is crucial to listen to patient’s needs and concerns to obtain ultimate results in treatment of the
In this paper I will be discussing various eating disorders and ways in which occupational therapists along with physical therapists may treat such problems along with issues that patients may present upon attempting to treat them. Occupational and physical therapists often work side by side to treat patients that are recovering from a disease or a surgery to help them regain their ability to perform daily routine. Eating disorder affects approximately one percent of female population in the ratio of 2-3 women to one man (Fisher, B. A., & Schenkman, M., 2012). The three major categories of eating disorders are: Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and Binge eating disorder, along with other specified feeding or …show more content…
A., & Schenkman, M., 2012). Such disorders do not only impact the physical well being of a patient but mental as well. The effects of such illness touches pretty much every aspect of life just as any other psychological disorder. Patients diagnosed with an eating disorder often cannon carry out everyday tasks such as shopping, cooking food, interacting with others, doing school work or even going to work on regular bases. Some patients may have low hygiene due to the fact that they have a horrible body image of themselves and thus cleaning or even touching their body may lead to negative thoughts and therefore avoidance of such routine. One of the side affects of starving yourself is loss of memory, concentration, and ability to think clearly along with increased anxiety and obsessional thinking (Clark, M., & Nayar, S., 2012). Since these patients have body image problems and therefore low self-esteem, which leads to not wanting to socialize with others and withdraw from social world along with family. Shopping for groceries may take a much longer time due to reading of the nutrition labels on every food item along with making difficult choices on what to eat in order to stay the same weight, which again, effects the time left in the day for work, friends, and other activities. Excessive exercising may be another …show more content…
The ultimate first step for the occupational or physical therapist would be trying to assess what is the foundation of the patient’s believes following with an attempt to make that patient aware of the side affects this disease causes on the aspects of life. This can be done only if the patient and the therapist have the same ideas on how to treat the disorder. It is found to be beneficial for the patient to engage in certain physical activities based on the therapist’s careful evaluation. For instance, patient’s with binge eating disorder shows improvement after starting to perform physical activity due to reduction of anxiety because of the expenditure of calories during the exercise (Herpertz, S., Hagenah, U., 2011). Overall, the Eating Disorders present many complications about how to design a proper program for an individual patient’s needs. Whether it is a physical or occupational therapist, they must obtain as much of the insight of the individual’s views on how they understand their problem and whether they are willing to work on getting better. Therapists must also take in consideration patient’s physical capabilities. It is crucial to listen to patient’s needs and concerns to obtain ultimate results in treatment of the