Leading anorexia nervosa treatment centre
While it can be terrifying to seek help for anorexia nervosa, recovery is possible. At Paracelsus Recovery, we will create an individualised treatment programme to restore your health and reshape your relationship with food. Our focus is to address any neurobiological factors and help you construct boundaries between your self-worth and physical appearance.
How do we treat Anorexia
Treatment for anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder characterised by self-starvation, an unhealthy body weight, an intense fear of weight gain and a distorted body image. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions and is a serious illness that requires immediate professional help.
At Paracelsus Recovery, we provide a comprehensive anorexia treatment programme. Our number one priority is to understand your relationship with food and treat the underlying issues contributing to the eating disorder.
We provide extensive psychoeducation during the treatment programme to help you address these factors and understand the reality of your mental health condition. Other components of the bespoke programme include psychiatry, psychotherapy, nutritional counselling, biochemical restoration and numerous complementary therapies. A live-in therapist will also stay in a self-contained section of your chosen residence. The live-in therapist will be available for emotional support and therapeutic assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We provide treatment for anorexia nervosa in Zurich and in London.
“If we are ready to tear down the walls that confine us, break the cage that imprisons us, we will discover what our wings are for."
360-Degree Treatment Approach - The most extensive and comprehensive treatment worldwide.
& Treatments
Counselling
Psychotherapy
and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Therapy
Hyperoxic Treatment
Restoration
& Psychonutrition
Nutritional Counselling
& Bioresonance
& Acupuncture
Behavioural signs of anorexia include
- Dramatic, and often dangerous (but not always), weight loss.
- Obsessive preoccupation with weight, calories, food, dieting and fat grams.
- Increasing refusal to eat certain foods or categories of food.
- Frequent feelings or comments about feeling fat despite weight loss.
- Distorted perception of one’s body and an intense fear of weight gain.
- Feelings of failure, disgust, shame, guilt and low self-esteem.
- Rigid thinking and a strong need to control.
- Excessive sleep and a lack of interest in once-loved activities or events.
- Increasing social isolation.
- A lack of emotional capacity or expression, feeling ‘numb’ a lot of the time.
Physical symptoms of anorexia
- Menstrual irregularities or complete loss of periods.
- Excessive hair growth on the chest, face and arms.
- Dizziness and fainting.
- Feeling cold all the time.
- Dry skin, bruising easily and poor wound healing.
- Frequent illnesses due to weakened immune system.
- Swelling of the feet or cold, mottled hands.
One of the most significant barriers to treatment for someone suffering from anorexia is the body dysmorphia that the condition brings, whereby the sufferer often cannot see themselves as dangerously thin. Instead, they perceive their weight as either ideal or completely normal and may not believe they need help. It can therefore be difficult for the sufferer to understand when loved ones try to encourage them to seek help, leading to the individual distrusting those around them.
Understanding anorexia nervosa
Individuals with anorexia usually suffer from profound perfectionism and a harsh ‘inner critic’ leading to feelings of immense guilt, shame, distress and low self-esteem. Self-starvation can become a way of keeping these feelings from overwhelming the individual. If the body is in a state of starvation, the brain will focus its attention on food rather than these negative feelings, resulting in the person feeling ‘free’ from these emotions, anxieties and pain. These patterns of behaviour and thoughts can make starvation addictive for some individuals.
FAQs
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that makes a person terrified of weight gain and leads them to starve themselves to the point of extreme weight loss. Sufferers also have an extreme fear of gaining weight as well as distorted body image.
Treatment for anorexia usually involves stabilising the individual’s weight loss and intense psychotherapy to address the psychological factors that have led to the eating disorder. Psychotherapy will address ritualistic eating patterns and help the individual process emotional issues to develop long-term behavioural changes.
Anorexia is a severe mental health condition. Due to its complexity, seeking help for anorexia is usually the best way to ensure the sufferer receives the appropriate help and support. Recovery from anorexia can take a long time, therefore it is essential to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Biological, physical, genetic, environmental and psychological factors all play an important role in the development of anorexia. For example, psychological factors such as a high level of perfectionism or obsessive-compulsive personality traits, feeling a lack of control over one’s life, low self-esteem, depression or anxiety can all contribute to the development of anorexia.
At Paracelsus Recovery, our intense and private multidisciplinary programmes are tailor-made to suit your specific needs. We do not believe that ‘one size fits all’ and will never push you to adhere to a particular treatment ideology. We see each client as a unique individual who requires a bespoke treatment plan.