How Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Works For Bulimia Treatment?
By: Amit Kothiyal
Submitted: 2009-10-22 05:59:27 | Word Count: 431
Bulimia is an eating disorder that affects a large number of people all across the world.An individual suffering for bulimia will binge on food and then in most cases induce vomiting in a cycle that is called "binging and purging". Generally, Binge eating refers to eating large amounts of food ( much larger than would be considered normal) in a discrete or measured and usually quite short period of time. Today there are various methods used to treat this disorder. Most people are treated by doctors and psychologists on an outpatient basis without being admitted to hospital unless a serious physical medical condition manifests. Over the past few years Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has emerged as one of the most popular models of treatment for Bulimia Nervosa.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also known as CBT, is a psychotherapeutic approach that primarily aims to influence dysfunctional thought processes. It is one of the treatment procedures that helps the patient to become aware of thought distortions which cause both psychological and physical distress.
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CBT makes use of use psychological approaches that are based on scientific, clinically proven research. It has emerged as one of the best treatment options in recent times and proved to be effective for problems associated with various eating disorders. This therapy starts with an assessment procedure using diagnostic tests, and a semi-structured interview. In the treatment phase the client has an individualized program specifically drawn up for them.
For any individual who is suffering from Bulimia, understanding the relationships between thoughts, emotions and actions is extremely important. This is because, once these relationships are understood, the patient can recognize and appropriately react to the negative thoughts and feelings that have previously resulted to abnormal eating behaviours with more positive thoughts that lead towards a healthy lifestyle.
The first and the key part of this treatment targets symptomatic relief for specific by using a series of Behavioural techniques. The second part of the treatment actually educates clients about the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This is very important and plays a vital role in treating Bulimia. As clients learn to recognize and categorize negative thoughts, he or she can challenge those thoughts and replace them with more balanced alternatives. For an individual, it is important to have some type of relaxation or "de-stress" strategy and with CBT it is accessible. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been clinically proven as an effective treatment for Bulimia Nervosa.
