1. A Cry for Help
Knowing that a friend or family member has an eating disorder can be shocking at first. Having your offers of help refused time and again may be even harder to take. When you know that someone is eating himself to death and either purging or growing to an unhealthy size, the best thing to do is to turn into a good listener. Binge eaters often feel they are alone and that no one cares. They have very low self-esteem and have trouble expressing their feelings. Until they seek help, you may be their life support just by being there and not abandoning them when they think everyone else has already gone.
2. Binging Requires an Intervention
Often a binge eater will need a dramatic and drastic experience to begin the healing process and change. An intervention with family and friends should include a professional who is prepared to take the binge eater to a hospital or inpatient treatment center when the meeting is over. Gather a group of understanding and caring people who will tell the binge eater how her behavior is hurting them and how they see it is killing her. Do not let her leave the room before she listens to each person speak.
3. Inpatient Care Is Necessary
As eating disorders have received more and more attention in the media, more treatment programs have opened. Most binge eaters do not purge, but continue to gain weight. An inpatient facility should first check the patient for any physical disorders that could be causing or contributing to the eating problem. An underactive thyroid, a damaged hypothalamus or uneven levels of serotonin can be first treated with medication. Psychological follow-up should be mandatory once the behavior is under control.
4. Health Conditions Can be a Wake-Up Call
Binge eaters will either eat themselves into more serious health issues, which will lead to an early death, or get help for their problem. In addition to obesity, some of the other consequences of prolonged binge eating are diabetes, heart conditions, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and osteoporosis. Sometimes a serious diagnosis will provide a wake-up call to the binge eater and provide the momentum needed to seek recovery. Others get to the end of the road when they have to stop doing the activities they enjoy, such as dancing, sports or even working.
5. Get Group Support
If inpatient or private counseling are ineffective or too expensive, binge eaters can find support groups in almost every community. Overeaters Anonymous is based on the 12 steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. It offers a safe, free environment where people with eating disorders help and support each other in their daily struggle with food. Contact a local mental health organization for other kinds of support groups in your area.
