Life Works – the leading specialist in Anorexia Treatment

Anorexia Nervosa, commonly called anorexia, is an eating disorder that is estimated to affect 1 out of every 100 women between the ages of 15 and 30 in the U.K. However it must be made clear that both men and women are vulnerable to the illness, with an estimated 10% of Anorexics being men, and can start from as young as 5 years old or beyond the retirement age. Anorexia is a disease of both the body and the mind, and successful treatment at an Anorexia treatment centre must focus on both. Without treatment for anorexia with professional anorexia counselling, as many as 20 per cent of anorexics will die from the disorder.

In response to a pathological fear of gaining weight, anorexics limit their nutritional intake, often to a life threatening degree. If Anorexia counselling is not initiated, anorexia not only leads to starvation but also triggers serious health disorders such as thickening of the cardiac musculature, kidney failure and even changes in the brain’s structure. Anorexics typically weigh 85 per cent or less of what their healthy body weight should be. Certain behaviours such as extreme secretiveness over food and obsessive over-exercising may be symptoms of anorexia, with many psychiatrists believing anorexia is closely related to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The incidence of anorexia has steadily increased over the past decades and many medical researchers have linked the disease to media representations of thin as beautiful, so common in western industrialised nations. Anorexia is far more prevalent in western than non-western nations, although the incidence of anorexia is on the rise in non-western nations as well. Some scientific evidence also points both to a genetic link and a dysfunction in the part of the brain that regulates metabolism as an underlying cause of anorexia. When anorexia develops in young girls, it is frequently triggered by stress associated with the death of a parent, parents divorcing or an issue with the girl’s own romantic partner.

Do I need an Anorexia treatment centre?

I think I have a problem with Anorexia, how can I tell? What are the symptoms of Anorexia?

A growing number of people in the UK are affected by an Eating Disorder and if you suspect you might suffer from one, it is important to know that treatment for anorexia is available. Anorexia Nervosa is a serious psychiatric illness that, if left untreated can result in grave consequences. Anorexia is characterized by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and a fear of fatness and weight gain. This fear often manifests in obsessive calorie counting and restricted eating to the point that your body weight drops below the recommended range for your sex and height. If your eating pattern has become increasingly irregular and you avoid mealtimes altogether, you are displaying some of the symptoms of Anorexia, and thus should seek an Anorexia counselling at an Anorexia treatment centre. As calorie counting and fear of food does not marry with social gatherings, you may find yourself increasingly withdrawing from friends and family. As the illness progresses, this withdrawal can result in feelings of intense loneliness and because the body is starved emotions fluctuate frequently making you depressed, angry, sad, and irritable. Central to the illness is a body image disturbance that guides the unhealthy behaviours related to Anorexia.

I think I need treatment for Anorexia, how can Life Works help me?

Once you have acknowledged the fact that you are in need of Anorexia counselling you have taken the first and vital step of your journey towards recovery. Receiving treatment at an Anorexia treatment centre is vital in order to reverse and stop the physical harm that your body is suffering. Treatment for Anorexia at Life Works is aimed at looking beyond the basic issue of food intake and addressing some of the emotional issues that underpin the disorder. By gaining insight into the contributing factors of your illness and incorporating your family in parts of the treatment you increase your chances of full recovery. Life Works provides a residential setting for treatment in our Anorexia treatment centre to allow for your healing and will ensure your chance of relapse is minimized by supporting you in aftercare and introducing you to a supportive recovery community. In recovery it is ‘one day at a time’, and the earlier you take action, the better your chances of overcoming this serious illness.

How can I start treatment for Anorexia at Life Works?

Remember that you are not the first person that is being treated for an eating disorder the last to be helped to live a happier and more balanced life. Enquiring about Anorexia counselling is confidential, and speaking to one of our caring admissions counsellors you will be invited your situation and the issues that you are facing right now. This also gives you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. Following this phone call we will schedule a pre-screening assessment allowing us to accurately assess you in order provide the best treatment possible. Our residential treatment facility offers a calm and stress-free environment in which to engage with the program and focus on you and your recovery. With professional treatment it is possible to treat Anorexia and restore health and balance and a greater quality of life. It starts with a call, 0800 081 0700