ARC, West Los Angeles  California



Eating Disorders fall within a spectrum of excessive eating habits to limited eating habits. ARC treats a variety of eating disorders when the condition is coexisting with substance abuse, alcoholism, or drug addiction. Most eating disorders have severe immediate and long-term medical consequences and can cause death. If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder call 877 415 HOPE today. Our credentialed staff will conduct a free evaluation to determine what steps towards resolution can be taken.

Types of Eating Disorders with Brief Descriptions

• Pica
• Rumination
• Hyperphagia
• Bulimia nervosa
• Anorexia nervosa
• Binge eating disorder
• Eating disorder not otherwise specified

Pica is defined by an appetite for non-foods (chalk, paper, coal, soil, etc.) or/and an abnormal appetite for substances that are considered foods, such as food ingredients (flour, starch, corn meal, raw potato, etc.) For Pica to be diagnosed these appetite patterns must persist for more than one month and at an age where eating such matter would be considered developmentally inappropriate.

Rumination is defined as an eating disorder in humans and is characterized by drawing the contents of the stomach back up into the mouth, chewed for a second time, and swallowed again. Obviously is some animals this is a natural digestive mechanism but for humans this behavior is extremely damaging to the esophagus through its exposure to stomach acids.

Hyperphagia is characterized by excessive hunger and the intake of large solids for consumption by mouth. (In medical terms Hyperphagia is also known as Polyphagia.)

Bulimia nervosa is commonly called bulimia. It is primarily a psychological condition defined by binge eating patterns followed by a preferred method of purging. The purging qualities of bulimia are to compensate for the excessive caloric intake from binging. Purging techniques vary from case to case and include: vomiting; and inappropriate uses of diuretics, enemas, laxatives or other medications. Some bulimics will also engage in excessive physical exercise or excessive fasting after a binge.

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by body image distortion and low body weight. People with anorexia will control body weight by starvation, vomiting, purging, excessive exercise, diet pills or diuretics. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition and if untreated approximately 10% of the people diagnosed with the condition will eventually die from it’s related factors.

Binge eating disorder is an expressive disorder which is an expression of a deeper, psychological problem. Binge eating disorder is defined by characteristics including:

• eating until physically uncomfortable
• eating an unusually large amount of food in one sitting
• feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binge eating
• eating large amounts of food, even when not really hungry
• periodically not exercising control over consumption of food
• often eating alone during periods of normal eating, due to feelings of embarrassment about food
• eating much more quickly during binge episodes than during normal eating episodes
• always eating alone during binge eating episodes so as to avoid discovery of the disorder

Binge eating disorder appears similar to compulsive eating disorder but in fact it is different. People exhibiting characteristics of binge eating disorder do not fantasize about food nor do they have a constant compulsion to overeat. People with binge eating disorder often have a very negative outlook on food which is a deviation from compulsive eating disorder.

Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) means a mental disorder that involves disordered eating patterns that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder. People diagnosed with EDNOS often switch between eating disorders and can with time meet all the diagnostic criteria for bulimia and anorexia. A person diagnosed with EDNOS may occasionally binge and purge but not initially so much as to meet the criteria for bulimia nervosa. Occasionally people with EDNOS will meet most of the criteria for anorexia nervosa but still have a normal body mass index or menstrual cycle, so they can’t be diagnosed as anorexic. However, EDNOS is a serious eating disorder with immediate and long-term medical consequences that can lead to death.

Unhealthy Family Roles are Common in Developing Eating Disorders

Eating disorders clients often come from families who depend excessively on each other and that do not handle stress and anger well. "Enmeshed" is an apt description: what the person diagnosed with an eating disorder consumes, wears and does and how well they appear, behave, and perform are all regarded as everybody's business and extremely important.

Paradoxically, the eating disorder functions to serves to preserve a form of family stability. The sufferer of the eating disorder secures some sense of identity, approval, and control through the special attention the illness requires; other members acquire a unifying focus for their own roles. The net effect is to reinforce the family's mutual dependencies and to hide underlying conflicts.

Successful Treatment for Eating Disorders is Often a Family Affair

As often as clients of ARC are introduced to solutions for their eating disorders, entrenched family dynamics can derail the eating disorder recovery process. Although families are not to blame for a client’s eating disorder, successful treatment requires all those affected by the eating disorder to work towards resolution of the emotional dynamics that have contributed to the disorders onset.

This opportunity comes through the ARC family program, where education about eating disorders is imparted and pertinent family issues are processed and discussed. As challenging as the family program is for clients, it is equally as challenging for family members and loved ones. Everyone has to evaluate their position with an introspection that often does not come easily. However, this process is important to creating successful outcomes for clients suffering from eating disorders. Personal responsibility of the contributing factors for all those impacted by the eating disorder helps to alleviate a cycle of secrecy and shame while supporting the goal of global resolution and healing.

ARC Treats Each Client with an Eating Disorder Individually and Effectively

ARC primarily treats eating disorders with individual clinical therapy. As eating disorders are most often a form of expression for deeper psychological issues, ARC employs daily individual therapeutic techniques based on an initial evaluation that helps to determine what clinical factors have played a role in developing the eating disorder. Some of the methodologies we utilize are:

• Grief Therapy
• Trauma Therapy
• Somatic Therapy
• Analytical Therapy
• Reflective Therapy
• Insight-Based Therapy
• Reason-Based Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Individual Counseling is also an important element in treating eating disorders. Some of the counseling techniques utilized by ARC are:

• Journal keeping
• Nutritional interventions
• Creating Behavioral Pacts
• Providing supportive meal times
• Establishing rules of eating conduct

A Sober Baseline is Crucial to Creating Effective Treatment for Eating Disorders

Aside from the personal, relational and social consequences from abuse of alcohol and drugs the consumption of alcohol and drugs directly impacts each person’s ability to access a natural emotional state. In essence, feelings and emotions are veiled by drugs and alcohol. The first step to treating clients who are dual-diagnosed with an eating disorder and a substance abuse issue is to establish a sober baseline. Without this, real resolution of the eating disorder is almost impossible.

During primary care the ARC treatment philosophy is designed to address the underlying causes and conditions that have contributed to the onset of the substance abuse issues. Each client is assigned a primary clinician who develops a personalized treatment plan with specific objectives that support clients in identifying and achieving their short-term and long-term addiction recovery goals.

Education about the physiological impact of alcohol and drugs is also an important element in recovering from substance abuse. ARC provides educational groups which are designed to impart an inherent understanding of the physiological bi-products attributed to post-acute withdrawal. This helps clients to cope with some of the unique emotional characteristics of post-acute withdrawal with a growing sense of hope that they are not alone and that addiction recovery is possible.

ARC offers an experiential therapy program and year-round outdoor recreational activities. These programs help clients alleviate stress and serves to promote a growing sense of personal enthusiasm for living in abstinence while addiction free. Our regional weather and local natural resources (Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Mountains) ensures enjoyment during these activities beneath the Southern California sun. All the ARC experiential programs are designed to meet the physical conditioning of each participant and take place weekly.

As dual-diagnosed clients progress through primary care they may choose to enroll in Phase 2 Continuing Care or Phase 3 Extended Care. These programs are designed to meet the ongoing and transitional needs of clients continuing their road to sustained eating disorder and addiction recovery. When circumstances or time constraints prevent participation in further residential care, an aftercare plan is developed for each client by their primary clinician. (It is highly recommended that clients with a coexisting eating disorder enroll in a full 90-day treatment experience)

If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder call 877 415 HOPE today. Our credentialed staff will answer any additional questions you might have.