A: This is a great question, Maxine, one with no simple yes or no answer. Here are some things to consider:
- People get better at different rates and in different ways. Some peoples’ ED symptoms get better fairly early in treatment, though they still need to work on underlying issues to prevent relapse. Other peoples’ symptoms get better a little at a time as they progress in treatment. Still others may need to work for a long time on underlying issues before their ED symptoms really begin to subside.
- If your symptoms are not improving and you are suffering unacceptable medical risk as a result, you may need to look at a higher level of treatment, such an intensive outpatient program or residential care.
- You may benefit from adding one or more additional treatments to your psychotherapy, such as nutritional counseling, medication, group therapy, art or music therapy, yoga, meditation or the like.
- There may be ways you can use your current therapy more effectively. You may not understand exactly what is expected of you inside or outside of treatment, and thus may not be getting the full benefit. (If you think this might be true of you, you may wish to check out my chapter, “Making Good Use of the Approach You Choose,” in Eating Disorders for Dummies.)
- In some situations a change of therapist may be appropriate. Perhaps your therapist isn’t experienced with treating eating disorders. Or maybe you have reached an impasse with each other in terms of mutual expectations.
You should certainly talk over your concerns with your therapist and discuss any of the issues above that seem relevant for you. Sometimes feeling stuck is just a temporary lull before changes begin to show up. But you don’t want to ignore stuckness. It’s a sign that something needs to be different.
Above all, please, please don’t decide you can’t be helped! Eating disorder treatment is complicated and takes a long time—longer than a year—for most people.
