Read up on Anorexia treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Anorexia

Key points about treatments

If you have anorexia, you worry a lot about the way your body looks and about how much you weigh. You have an intense fear of being fat, and you starve yourself to lose weight. Having anorexia can seriously damage your health, and it may kill you.

Key points about treating anorexia

To recover from anorexia, you'll need to do three important things: eat more food, gain weight and change how you think about yourself and food.
There's very little good research about treatments for anorexia, so we can't say for sure what will work.
Doctors agree that the best treatment is to eat more to gain weight. But there hasn't been much research about the best way to encourage someone with anorexia to eat normally again.
There are no drugs that can "cure" anorexia.
Psychotherapy (talking therapy) may work, especially if you feel depressed. This type of treatment helps you become well by feeling better about yourself. But there hasn't been enough research to tell us whether it works.
Involving the whole family, maybe with family therapy, may help to stop anorexia from becoming a long-term problem.
You're more likely to get better if you get treatment early.
At the end of treatment, the closer you are to a healthy weight, the better your chances of recovering completely.

This information was last updated on Feb 09, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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