Psychological Care
What is Psychological Treatment for Eating Disorders and Malnutrition?
Psychology is the “scientific study of the mind and behavior,” according to the American Psychological Association. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields. Psychological interventions are administered by licensed psychologists who help address the emotional struggles of living with an eating disorder or being hospitalized.
Psychological therapies help patients with severe eating disorders and malnutrition address the difficulty of their illness and hospital stay by:
- Providing evidence-based psychotherapy services
- Providing support for patients cognitively and emotionally
- Addressing anxiety, depression and other forms of distress
- Help patients understand their eating disorder or other chronic condition
The role of psychological care in medical rehabilitation
Psychologists play a vital role in the treatment of eating disorders and are a crucial part of a patient’s multidisciplinary team. Patients experiencing severe eating disorders or malnutrition are often experiencing serious medical complications because of their condition. Psychologists support patients on a cognitive and emotional level as they tolerate the demands of hospitalization and medical rehabilitation. Hospital stays can present new difficulties that psychologists can help patients understand and learn to cope with.
While ACUTE’s primary focus is medical rehabilitation, it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Psychologists serve as a hopeful voice of recovery, preparing patients emotionally for continuing their recovery journey at lower levels of care.
When necessary, psychologists also deliver crisis intervention therapy for patients experiencing extreme levels of mental distress to help restore their mental state and prevent psychological trauma.
Benefits of psychological supports
Boost in emotional awareness
The ability to identify, acknowledge and communicate emotions can boost a patient’s emotional awareness, allowing them to better understand their own emotions. Increased emotional awareness can help patients learn how to manage emotions in a positive way, effectively communicate, resolve conflict and overcome challenges.
Building emotional resilience
Therapeutic interventions can explore the emotional impact of life experiences, eating disorders or chronic conditions that contribute to malnutrition. A greater sense of emotional resilience can help patients overcome emotional distress, improve emotional flexibility, cope with life changes, grow from adversity and think positively about the future.
Cultivating self-compassion
The ability to cultivate self-compassion has a great impact on one’s mental health. A strong support network of trauma-informed psychologists and behavioral health experts provides a safe environment for patients to feel seen and heard while working through complex feelings and frustration as they as they tolerate the demands of hospitalization.
What to expect from psychologists
Assessment
Upon admission, the patient meets with a dedicated psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. The psychologist will use a gold standard of assessments to determine if an eating or feeding disorder is present as well as conduct a comprehensive psychodiagnostics assessment that covers a range of factors, including:
- Depression and anxiety assessment
- ADHD assessment
- Autism spectrum disorders assessment
- Addiction screening
- Trauma assessment
- Personality traits screening
Education
Learning about eating disorders, mental health disorders or other conditions is an essential component of psychological care. Patients learn how their eating disorder, along with any co-occurring diagnoses, affects their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Patients with non-eating disorder malnutrition receive education on the emotional impact of living with a chronic condition and common psychiatric comorbidities.
Skilled interventions
Psychological interventions are chosen to support patients emotional wellbeing and recovery goals. Interventions help address negative thinking, acknowledge thoughts and emotions and change behavioral patterns and provide insight into eating disorders, other mental health diagnoses and thought patterns. Interventions include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychoeducation