Halfway There: The Dangers of Stopping Anorexia Recovery Too Soon

A client was telling me about a birthday party she attended with the most impressive princess-themed cake for the newly-turned five year old. “It was the best I’ve ever had, with whipped cream frosting and real strawberries. I couldn’t say no to a second slice.”

“Sounds delicious,” I said.

“I took some home to my neighbor, but she wouldn’t eat it.” My client shook her head. “She’s so worried she’ll get fat, even though she’s thin as a rail. She loves cake but hasn’t eaten any in years.”

“That’s sad,” I said. “Some women always seem to be on a diet.”

“Especially her,” she replied. “She’s been on a diet since her twenties. Now she’s 82.”

I was speechless. I knew, of course, that some people suffered from SEED (severe and enduring eating disorders), but hearing about this woman made it all the more real. To think of this woman spending seven decades of life terrified of dessert. To think of all the times she could have fully enjoyed a friend’s or family member’s party rather than depriving herself of birthday cake. Even worse, to think of the fact that she had lived so many years imprisoned by fear and self-imposed rules. My heart hurt for her.

“It’s a shame she never sought treatment,” I said quietly.

“I think she did in her forties or fifties,” my client replied. “She started eating more and gained a few pounds, so she thought she was better and stopped. She thought she was all cured.”

But life continued – with its everyday stressors and unexpected events that catch a person off-guard, events that cause someone who is not completely recovered from an eating disorder to slip back into it. Anorexia was this woman’s most familiar, comfortable coping skill. And sadly, her most dangerous.

Why Stopping Anorexia Treatment Too Soon Increases Risk of Relapse

Herein lies the dangers of stopping eating disorder treatment too soon. Recovering from anorexia, which impacts almost every part of the body physically and mentally, can take a long time. Increasing food intake is only the beginning, and it must continue over a long period to ensure the body repairs the damage caused by restriction. If treatment ends too soon, the client remains nutritionally deficient and at risk for a myriad of complications, including heart problems, gastrointestinal issues, decreased bone density, brain shrinkage, kidney damage, and hormonal imbalances that can cause menstrual irregularities and even infertility. Co-occurring mental health conditions may worsen, such as an increase in anxiety or depression, which in turn may worsen the eating disorder. Thoughts of self-harm or suicide may occur. Devastatingly, one in five individuals with anorexia takes her life, and individuals with anorexia are 18-31 times more likely to die by suicide than their same-age peers.

How Anorexia Becomes a Chronic Coping Mechanism

Stopping treatment halfway can cause an eating disorder to become a chronic problem, as seen in the case of my client’s neighbor. The sufferer may not learn the necessary skills for coping with life’s stressors and challenging the harmful messages of diet culture. The impact cannot be overstated: Anorexia interferes with a person’s ability to fully pursue social, educational, and career goals and connect with others. It prevents them from being fully present, from rising above an emotional numbness and feeling the happiness that small moments can bring. For many, it feels like chains from which they just can’t break free, affecting them mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Symptom Swapping: When Anorexia Turns Another Eating Disorder

If an individual is able to stop restricting, her eating disorder easily can turn into another one unless properly treated. It is not uncommon for someone in recovery from anorexia, for example, to develop orthorexia, so instead of worrying about calories and carbs, she becomes obsessed with “healthy” and “pure” foods. Or the transition could be to binge eating disorder, where she eats in excess not out of hunger but as a way to cope with unmet emotional needs. Swapping symptoms in this way may help with some problems, but it introduces others, while the real issues – low self-esteem, anxiety, maybe even trauma – remain unresolved.

What Full Recovery From Anorexia Really Looks Like

But how can a person know if she has truly recovered from an eating disorder? In many ways, she will be able to answer this question herself. She’ll just know. She’ll reach the point where she no longer has a self-destructive relationship with food (or exercise or diuretics or weight loss pills). She won’t compromise her health to wear a certain pant size or reach a certain number on the bathroom scale. Food and body shape take an appropriate place in her life and are far less important than her actual identity. She’ll accept her natural body size, knowing she doesn’t need to necessarily love her body, but that respecting it is absolutely essential. She’ll no longer use food restriction or other eating disorder behaviors to distract herself from the problems in other areas of her life. She’ll cope, she’ll move forward despite hesitation toward the life God intended.

You Deserve Complete Healing: Taking the Next Step Toward Treatment

It’s unlikely that someone with an eating disorder can recover entirely on her own. The vast majority of sufferers need medical professionals who are on their side and can guide them through the recovery process. A trained therapist will work closely with dietitians, primary care providers, psychiatrists, gastroenterologists, and other professionals to ensure the client receives the most thorough care. 

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you are struggling with anorexia or another eating disorder, please don’t settle for “almost better.” You deserve full healing — physically, mentally, and spiritually. You were created for more than survival mode. If you’re ready to move beyond halfway healing, please reach out to me or another trained clinician to learn more about treatment. You do not have to walk this road alone — and it is never too late to pursue complete recovery.

Author: Jessie Tucker Mitchell, LCMHC, NCC, CTP, EDIP

Resources

8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience by Carolyn Costin and Gwen S. Grabb.

The Link Between Eating Disorders and Suicide - Eating Disorder Hope