Compassionate care to rebuild health and your relationship with food
Seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa can feel frightening, but recovery is possible. At Pathways, the first step is to understand your needs, assess your health and explore the difficulties underlying your relationship with food. Care is planned around your individual circumstances and the support appropriate to them.
What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder characterised by severe restriction of food intake, significantly low body weight, intense fear of weight gain and a distorted perception of body shape or size.
It is a serious, potentially life-threatening illness with a very high mortality rate compared with other mental health conditions. Prompt professional assessment is important. The effects on physical health need attention alongside the psychological difficulties involved.
Recognising the signs of anorexia nervosa
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Common signs may include:
- Marked weight loss, although this is not always obvious.
- Persistent fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even when underweight.
- Seeing yourself as overweight or becoming intensely focused on body shape and size despite being underweight.
- Severely restricting food intake, including fasting or avoiding particular foods.
- Irregular menstrual periods or loss of periods.
- Dizziness, fainting or feeling cold much of the time.
- Increased fine body hair on areas such as the chest, face or arms.
Medical risk cannot be judged from appearance or weight alone. Severe malnutrition, dehydration or electrolyte imbalance requires urgent medical care. Some people need hospital-based stabilisation and supervised nutritional rehabilitation before another treatment setting can be considered.
How we treat anorexia nervosa
A personalised pathway through treatment
Anorexia can be complex and isolating, and your experience is individual. At Pathways, the plan developed with you reflects your assessed needs rather than a predetermined schedule. The appropriate setting and professional input are considered before treatment is planned.
Each day of an agreed programme is structured around therapeutic elements that complement one another. The aim is to address physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing together, while helping you understand the difficulties underlying the condition and develop a more compassionate relationship with food and your body.
A whole-person approach: mind, body and soul
Our 360-degree approach considers the person experiencing anorexia alongside the eating disorder itself. Psycho-education helps you understand the condition and forms part of a plan that brings psychological, medical and nutritional needs together.
The whole-person approach considers intensive psychotherapy, biochemical restoration and complementary therapies. Any proposed intervention needs individual clinical review and an agreed role within your care. Complementary elements do not replace the medical monitoring and nutritional rehabilitation needed for anorexia.
Understanding psychological and co-occurring difficulties
Assessment explores your relationship with food and the psychological factors that may be sustaining it. Clinically appropriate investigations and mental health assessment help identify co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, depression or trauma.
These difficulties may be closely connected with anorexia and are considered alongside it. Understanding your particular circumstances helps shape a personalised plan, rather than assuming that every person has the same underlying experiences or needs.
Weight, nutrition and physical health
The care plan addresses weight and nutritional health alongside the psychological factors involved in the development and maintenance of anorexia. Medical and nutritional input are coordinated with therapeutic work according to your assessed needs.
Where physical health is seriously compromised, stabilisation and nutritional rehabilitation require an appropriately equipped medical service. Assessment guides whether residential care at Pathways is suitable or a different level of care is needed; it is not assumed to be appropriate for every person.
Long-term behavioural change and renewed trust
Long-term behavioural change is an important part of recovery. The aim is to help you regain a healthier, more sustainable sense of control, rebuild trust in your body and challenge harmful thought patterns.
Therapeutic work supports the development of new coping strategies for a balanced and fulfilling life. Care, empathy and professional guidance help you explore your identity beyond anorexia, while supporting the ongoing work of rebuilding health and wellbeing.
Coordinated professional and emotional support
Medical, psychiatric, psychological and nutritional needs are considered within the individual care plan. Professional input, including dietetic expertise where required, is coordinated with emotional support and work on distressing or intrusive thoughts.
Anorexia and any co-occurring mental health conditions are considered together. The appropriate programme, setting and intensity of treatment are discussed through assessment. The focus is an individual pathway towards recovery rather than a fixed stay length or guaranteed outcome.