Craving Elimination

Treatment and Therapy for Eating Disorders

Principium Psychiatry offers outpatient eating disorder treatment in Midtown Manhattan. Our eating disorder therapists and psychiatrists use approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help patients develop healthier eating behaviors. We can also work with other health providers that address the physical aspects of eating disorders.

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Anorexia nervosa involves food restriction, severe weight loss and distorted body image. When someone has anorexia, they have an intense fear of gaining weight and will take drastic measures to lose it. Some cases of anorexia include binging and purging in addition to restricting behaviors. The DSM-5 has criteria for anorexia that include low body weight, but people not considered underweight can have a variant called atypical anorexia. Anorexia treatment involves addressing the physical effects and behavioral patterns of the disorder.

Recurrent patterns of binging and purging characterize bulimia nervosa. These episodes can resemble the binging and purging in some cases of anorexia, but many people with bulimia tend to be of normal weight. The binging aspect of the cycle involves feeling out of control and eating an excessive amount of food. After binge eating, the person with bulimia then purges the food through behaviors like vomiting, laxative use and intensive exercise. Purging behaviors can result in severe side effects like electrolyte imbalance.

Binge eating disorder features symptoms that resemble the binge eating aspects of bulimia, but it does not involve purging behaviors. Episodes of binge eating often cause emotional distress for the patient. A person with binge eating disorder can also experience feelings of shame around food and a distorted body image. Many people with binge eating disorder often have obesity or high body weights.

Many types of eating disorders exist in addition to the best-known conditions. Additional eating disorder diagnoses include:

  • Pica
  • Rumination
  • Purging
  • Nighttime Eating
  • Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

Eating Disorder Therapy From Principium in Midtown Manhattan

At Principium, our professionals treat well-known eating disorders like anorexia as well as lesser-known issues such as pica. They use the following approaches to address disordered eating patterns:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): During CBT for eating disorders, the patient learns how to identify and change unhealthy thoughts about food and body image.
  • Family-Based Therapy: Family-based therapy involves the patient and their family in recovery. Parents of teenagers with eating disorders can learn how to support their children during family therapy sessions.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT for eating disorders focuses on changing the patient’s actions over thoughts and feelings. By separating themselves from their emotions, ACT patients learn how to live a more authentic life.

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Craving Elimination Treatment at Principium

At Principium Psychiatry, we also offer treatment for food craving elimination. Psychological treatment procedures for reducing craving can be placed in two categories:

  • Procedures that are designed to decrease the likelihood of the onset of craving include stimulus control, cue exposure, aversion therapy, coping imagery, self-monitoring and skill training for avoiding situations in which craving is likely to occur.
  • Procedures that are designed to decrease the intensity and duration of craving that include cognitive and behavioral skill training.

Outpatient and Telepsychiatry Options From Principium

Patients at Principium Psychiatry can receive a combination of outpatient and telepsychiatry services. Our telepsychiatry options improve the accessibility of treatment for many of our patients. Ask your doctor about telepsychiatry during your initial consultation at Principium Psychiatry.

Schedule Eating Disorder Treatment in New York City

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