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Getting Back on Track After Suffering a Relapse in Anorexia
Contributor: Dr. SooMi Lee Samuel, MA, MD, Medical Director for Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center
The process of recovery from anorexia nervosa is an arduous journey, one with many unpredictable highs and lows. Being the most fatal of psychiatric illnesses, anorexia is a complex disorder than warrants professional intervention and treatment for recovery and healing.
Fortunately, when appropriate help and care is sought for the treatment of anorexia, including medical, psychiatric, and nutritional interventions, the prognosis is greatly improved for those who might be struggling.
Understanding the Role of Relapse
Given the nature of anorexia nervosa, it is important to understand the many different factors that are part of the recovery process, as well as the complexities involved with the healing process. For many individuals recovering from anorexia, ongoing treatment is necessary for years before full remission from eating disorder behaviors is achieved. Because anorexia results from various factors, including biological, environmental, and psychosocial, there remains some debate about what full recovery from anorexia might mean.
Experiencing a relapse episode in the process of recovering from anorexia is not uncommon. The rate of relapse among individuals recovering from anorexia is variable, reaching as high as 65%, with the greatest risk within the four to twelve months following treatment [1]. A relapse in anorexia recovery may look different from one person to another but can involve any regression into behaviors associated with the eating disorder. This might involve calorie restriction, excessive exercise, resumption of dieting behaviors and more.
Getting Back on Track
Rel
apse episodes can occur at any point of the recovery journey, no matter how long a person may be involved with the process. While there are sometimes predictors of relapse episodes, most individuals may not be fully aware of the gradual decline that is characteristic of a relapse experience in anorexia.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a relapse episode, there is always the possibility of getting back on track. The experience of reliving behaviors once associated with the eating disorder can be more intense, but this does not mean that recovery is a hopeless cause. On the contrary, understanding that relapse is part of the process can help create a more realistic perspective of the recovery journey.
If you have found yourself dealing with a relapse episode in your own recovery from anorexia, there are many things you can do to help yourself get things back on track:
- Don’t isolate yourself: It is easy to fall into feelings of shame, despair, and hopelessness during moments of weakness, but isolation can only further dampen your efforts. Reach out to someone you trust, be it a professional, family member or friend, and let them know about the situation you are facing. You are not alone through this.
- Get Plugged Into Support: The recovery journey from anorexia was not intended to be experienced alone. Get into a support group and find ways to regularly connect with others who understand your journey. Find a mentor or someone you can be accountable to throughout your journey.
- Recognize What You Need: Relapses in eating disorder behaviors are often cries for help. Consider the circumstances in your life surrounding the relapse. What are you needing during this time? This might range from emotional support to physical rest and many things in between. Consider connecting with a counselor or therapist to best process what you are experiencing and needing to give yourself for ongoing healing.
- Seek Out Appropriate Help: Sometimes relapses indicate a need for additional help, support, and accountability. For some individuals, this may mean temporary treatment. Going back to treatment is not an indication of failure but rather, a sign of growth and healing.
Relapses can feel devastating, but understand that this is part of your ongoing restoration from a complex and debilitating disorder. Continue to find hope and inspiration during your journey and know that you have the strength and resources to continue fighting on.
Community Discussion – Share Your Thoughts Here!
If you have experienced a relapse in your recovery from anorexia, what resources were helpful for you in getting back on track?
About the author: About the author: Dr. Lee-Samuel is board certified in Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. As the Medical Director, she manages medications and serves as an important member and leader of the multi-disciplinary treatment teams at Timberline Knolls. She works collaboratively with primary/family therapists, expressive therapists, nutritionists and other treatment team members, and assists in administrative duties on campus.
Prior to coming to Timberline Knolls, Dr. Lee-Samuel was affiliated with multiple inpatient psychiatric hospitals including Lakeshore Hospital, Provena Mercy, and Alexian Brothers. She had a private practice for several years and was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. She also served as the Director of Psychiatric Services for DCFS of Illinois. Dr. Lee-Samuel attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
References:
[1]: Eating Disorder Review, “Tackling relapse among anorexia nervosa patients”, http://eatingdisordersreview.com/nl/nl_edr_24_1_4.htmlThe opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on October 11, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
