Bila Tserkva
Addresses of the Clinics
Monday-Sunday 08:30 - 20:00
Monday-Sunday 08:30 - 20:00
Kyiv, 17 Kovpaka St. (On the map)
Bila Tserkva, 191A Tarashchanska St. (On the map)
Today you will learn about an approach to treating eating disorders developed at CSM Clinic together with international experts. Treatment in our inpatient unit gradually transitions to a sanatorium-style hotel stay before the patient is discharged. Be sure to read to the end to learn more about this condition.
Has your daughter or son suddenly lost weight and restricted their diet? Do they not see their condition critically, and you do not know what to do? Food, body image and weight have begun to affect your child or you, and you feel panicked? Remember that anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates among mental disorders, so there is no time for lengthy deliberation: delaying care can seriously affect you or your relative. Resolving this problem without professional help is very difficult. Contacting CSM Clinic, which works specifically in the field of eating disorders, can help you learn what anorexia is, why it is dangerous, and receive treatment for this serious condition. Our specialists use evidence-based methods and a time-tested author's program. You will read about our treatment program in this article.
Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by rejection of one's body image, refusal to eat, and creating artificial obstacles to food absorption in order to lose weight. It is important to understand that anorexia is not simply an illness, but also a way for a person to adapt within the relationships in which they live. It is a way to give those around them a chance to do something, to change something, and to notice the patient's real pain. Anorexia can be life-threatening.
Anorexia nervosa is often accompanied by depression and an increased risk of suicide, so timely professional help is essential.
The disorder most often affects girls and women aged 12–25. Without qualified help, anorexia nervosa leads to various somatic diseases and can cause death from cardiac arrest, hypokalemia, severe cachexia, or suicide against the background of severe depression.
Specialists distinguish the following types of anorexia:
The causes of anorexia are varied, and the disorder is most often triggered by several factors. The risk group includes girls and women from well-off families, with normal or increased weight and an excessive drive for perfection. However, the risk is no less in many other categories, usually those raised by grandmothers and nannies or in single-parent families. There is also a separate group of patients who do aerobics, gymnastics, figure skating, acrobatics, ballet or dance.
Anorexia can be caused by various factors:
It is important to pay attention to two processes: creating and enriching the environment in which a person lives, and family relationships and the satisfaction of basic needs (safety, warmth, unconditional love). A long-term mismatch between the surrounding environment and these needs can contribute to the formation of anorexia nervosa symptoms. At the same time, the help of a qualified specialist in changing the negative background and organizing an environment where an eating disorder is not needed makes it possible to address the root of the disease rather than only its consequences.
Especially among children with the anorexic type of adaptation, the negative ("mortidal") background includes:
All these factors, alone or in combination, may contribute to the development of anorexia.
Over time, prolonged strict dietary restriction suppresses the food instinct and the instinct of self-preservation. Insufficient food intake triggers compensatory mechanisms and slows metabolism, reducing the secretion of digestive enzymes, insulin and bile acids. Digestion at first causes discomfort and, in advanced cases, becomes impossible. A deficiency of nutrients leads to cachexia, and as organ function is impaired, the risk of death increases.
The first signs of anorexia are often unnoticeable to others, because dissatisfaction with one's own body is only beginning to appear. People begin to take an active interest in various ways of losing weight and in diets, and may admire famous actresses or models with a slender build. Thoughts of one's own ugliness and excess weight form but are carefully hidden.
In the early stages of the illness, people begin to eat less, chew food for a long time, claim to be full before they are, or secretly throw away the rest of their portion. Later they avoid shared meals and gatherings. To justify their behavior, they lie about needing a strict diet because of supposed gastritis, peptic ulcer or allergy. In the late stages of an eating disorder, eating may stop completely.
Some patients take medications or consume products that suppress appetite: antidepressants, psychostimulants, coffee, tea or tonic mixtures, which can lead to dependence. Another group of patients tries to speed up metabolism for weight loss through exhausting workouts, sauna visits, or wearing several layers of clothing to sweat more.
In cases of overeating or inability to stop eating, patients may induce vomiting right after a meal. At first the gag reflex is triggered deliberately, but over time it may become spontaneous. In some cases laxatives and diuretics are taken to remove fluids and food faster.
Many patients develop a symptom of anorexia such as an eating "binge." It appears as uncontrolled consumption of a large amount of food in a short period of time. The episode takes place in private. During the binge, the person cannot regulate the amount of food, enjoy its taste or combine foods properly. The relapse is not always caused by hunger. Most often it is triggered by a wish to relax or calm down. After the binge, self-hatred and guilt appear, leading to even stricter dieting or more intense exercise.
Anorexia in children and teenagers develops for the same reasons as in adults, but the likelihood is higher, because the psyche at this age is more prone to complexes and outside influence. The peak incidence is at ages 12–15, when the physiological changes of adolescence increase the layer of body fat. This moment often becomes the trigger, and the teenager takes active steps to lose weight.
Anorexia in teenagers is more severe and can lead to more dangerous consequences for physical and mental health. Mortality in anorexia nervosa is high, and suicide is among its causes.
The severity of complications depends on the stage of the disease. Without treatment, anorexia leads to the following consequences:
Anorexia is an extremely dangerous condition, and you should see a psychotherapist as early as possible.
Specific diagnosis of anorexia includes:
To assess overall health, the following are prescribed:
At CSM Clinic, we treat anorexia with a comprehensive approach. A course of treatment usually lasts from three to seven months, and the intensity of therapy depends on the stage of the disease, the patient's age, and physical and mental condition. Treatment takes place in our inpatient unit. Some patients need admission to the intensive care unit of CSM Clinic.
A comprehensive anorexia treatment plan includes many methods, and we use a wide range of evidence-based approaches that support the patient's well-being and health on all sides.
After arriving at CSM Clinic, the patient undergoes a full examination to assess their condition and potential. It includes an examination by a cardiologist and related tests and consultations with an endocrinologist, a neurologist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and, if needed and indicated, consultations with a urologist/gynecologist, an orthopedist, a dietitian and other specialists. This helps determine the workload and intensity of recovery during the treatment period.
By gradually increasing physical and intellectual capacity, we aim to improve the body's resistance to adverse external influences and strengthen the nervous system, so that even in the first weeks of treatment:
At the next stage, we work on restoring the functional state of the central nervous system:
When the patient begins to recover and regain strength, they need to put their energy to use. For this, we have a training method designed to influence the performance and coordination of the brain and nervous system. The exercises are intended to support self-regulation and sensorimotor function of the nervous system, improve attention and help maintain the rhythm of daily life. At the same time, the person begins to control and plan processes independently, including eating.
In parallel with all of the treatment listed above, the following is arranged at the first stages:
At CSM Clinic, the author's method of Valery Patonych, a specialist in treating eating disorders, is used for anorexia therapy. It can be used for children and adults. The Fisiotherapy method aims to help people not to live with the illness but to move away from it. Previously this method was used in the Revocanda plus psychological centers, and now it is available at CSM.
Fisiotherapy (Valery Patonych's author's method) includes:
Specialists report that many clients who completed the author's Fisiotherapy program recovered.
To prevent anorexia, work should be done both in a person's everyday life and within the family. From early childhood, parents should help children develop healthy eating habits and a healthy attitude toward the body.
CSM Clinic combines psychotherapeutic, medical and intensive care support and rehabilitation in one place, including for patients with a low BMI (body mass index) and teenagers. Our goal is to treat the client, not to teach them to live with an eating disorder.
Do you suspect that someone close to you has developed anorexia and are you looking for experienced specialists for treatment?
No single doctor can treat such a condition alone; it can be treated only with a good team of doctors of different specialties. We offer such a team. Contact CSM Clinic, and we will help you begin treatment for anorexia using our combined author's methods. You can sign up for a course of treatment by calling the number listed on the site or by filling out the online appointment or callback request form.
