Eating Disorder Therapist in Phoenix, AZ

There are 4 common types of eating disorders. The most common type of eating disorder is Anorexia Nervosa. This eating disorder involves a person who views themselves as overweight, even if they are underweight. They typically avoid eating certain types of food, restrict calorie intake, and constantly monitor their weight. The next kind of eating disorder is Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa involves a person who takes in a large amount of food at specific times of the day. A person usually feels like they cannot stop eating.

The next eating disorder is a binge eating disorder. This disorder involves a person who feels that they have a lack of control over how much they eat, even after eating a large amount of food. The last common type of eating disorder is Pica. Pica is a type of disorder that causes a person to eat or crave non-food substances. A person may eat hair, ice, chalk, soap, or dirt.

Symptoms of an eating disorder can vary depending on the kind of eating disorder a person may suffer from. There can be emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms of an eating disorder. These symptoms can include but are not limited to frequent dieting, extreme mood swings, skipping meals, uncomfortable eating around others, difficulties concentrating, dizziness, stomach cramps, visible fluctuations of weight, dry skin, weak muscles, feeling cold, and much more.

Symptoms are usually hidden at first but end up being very noticeable after a few weeks a person develops an eating disorder. If you think a loved one or yourself may be suffering from an eating disorder, reach out to Dr. Courtney Gaines. We are an experienced team of medical professionals who would love to work with you and help you with your needs.

There are a lot of factors that could cause a person to suffer from an eating disorder. One common cause is an imbalance of serotonin or dopamine in the brain. Most people who have an eating disorder are not happy with the way they look or how others may view them. With a person being unhappy with their weight, an eating disorder may be a way for them to help control the loss or gain of weight. Other things like family history can cause eating disorders. If there is a parent in the home who suffers from an eating disorder and a child witnesses that behavior, then they are likely to suffer from an eating disorder as well.

If a family member with an eating disorder suffers from a chemical imbalance in their brain, the child(ren) may likely suffer from the same kind of imbalance as well. Depression can also be linked to someone suffering from an eating disorder, and depression is mainly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, primarily with serotonin.

Therapy can help with an eating disorder in a variety of different settings and types of therapy. There is intensive outpatient or outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential, and inpatient hospitalization. All of these settings offer different types of therapies for eating disorders, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, family-based treatment, dialectal behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive remediation family, and psychodynamic therapy. For more information on the types of therapies we offer, reach out to our team at Jade Health and Wellness. We are dedicated to helping people live their lives healthy. We are here to work with you and help you get on the road to recovery. Eating disorders are a reality, but you are not alone, and treatments are available today. For further queries, contact us today or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 2375 East Camelback RD Suite 600 Phoenix, AZ 85016. We serve patients from Phoenix AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Paradise Valley AZ, Alhambra AZ, Tempe AZ, and surrounding areas.