Our team's whole is greater than the sum of its' parts.
Eating disorders and disordered eating are more common than you think.
In 2012, over 113,000 Canadians had an eating disorder diagnosis. However, only 1 in 5 eating disorders get diagnosed - the rest fly under the radar. Ten years later, almost 1 million Canadians reported experiencing eating disorder symptoms.
At Change Creates Change, our interprofessional health team provides nutrition counselling and psychotherapy for individuals living with any eating disorder, as well as those experiencing disordered eating.
We treat Anorexia Nervosa.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious mental health concern involving severe food restriction where calories, quantity, and variety of foods are limited. AN often results in significant weight loss, however, a lack of weight gain is also concerning in children and youth who should be growing in height and weight over time. Folks with anorexia nervosa typically have an intense fear of gaining weight. They also often have a distorted body image, involving negative thoughts about body weight, shape, and/or appearance.
Treatment for anorexia nervosa involves a two-pronged approach: nutrition rehabilitation with one of our Registered Dietitians and psychotherapy with one of our Registered Psychotherapists/ Registered Counselling Therapists. Involvement of a medical provider is required to ensure medical stability throughout the treatment process - our team can arrange this on behalf of our clients to ensure a connected circle of care.
We treat Bulimia Nervosa.
Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is a serious mental health concern involving compensatory behaviours such as vomiting and/or over-exercising to rid the body of calories with the goal of preventing weight gain. Oftentimes, binge eating is also present and triggers these negative behaviours. Binge eating is eating a large amount of food in a short time. This amount is significantly more than what most people in the same situation would eat. Individuals who binge typically feel they lack "control".
Globally, BN affects 3% of females and 1% of males. About 3% of Canadians ages 16-30 years old have a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa.
Like anorexia, the recommended treatment for bulimia is a dual-pronged approach involving both a Registered Dietitian and Registered Psychotherapist/Registered Counselling Therapist. Medical monitoring is also necessary to ensure medical stability throughout the treatment process - our team can arrange this on behalf of our clients to ensure a connected circle of care.
We treat Binge Eating Disorder.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) purging behaviours. Individuals typically eat rapidly and report feeling "out of control" and "unable to stop". They may eat until they are uncomfortably full and tend to eat alone in order to hide these behaviours. Most folks with BED will express feelings of guilt and shame following a binge.
BED impacts 1.5% of women and 0.3% of men worldwide. It affects 1.3–3% of children and adolescents.
Binge eating disorder treatment involves working with one of our Registered Dietitians, one of our Registered Psychotherapists/Registered Counselling Therapists, or both.
We treat Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) involves food restriction, but not because of fear of weight gain. Individuals with ARFID restrict their food intake for various reasons; an apparent disinterest in food, sensory sensitivities to certain food items, and/or an underlying fear of certain foods resulting in vomiting, choking, or another adverse outcome of eating.
As a newer eating disorder diagnosis (first noted in 2013), there is limited statistics available. A common stat is that two in 100,000 Canadian children and adolescents experience ARFID. however, this number seems incredibly low compared to what we see in practice today. In an eating disorder hospital in the United States, 22.5% of patients had ARFID.
Treatment for ARFID includes nutrition therapy with one of our Registered Dietitians and/or psychotherapy with one of our Registered Psychotherapists/Registered Counselling Therapists. Therapeutic modalities include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (CBT-AR), Family-Based Treatment for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (FBT-AR), Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT) and/or Exposure-Based Therapy (EBT).
We treat Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders.
Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED) occurs when an individual has a severe eating disorder but does not meet check all the boxes of another eating disorder noted above. This does not mean OSFED is any less severe than other eating disorders. Folks with OSFED typically exhibit disordered eating behaviours that may include dieting, a refusal to eat certain foods, and/or a preoccupation with food, weight, shape and/or appearance.
About 11% of individuals experience OSFED, much more than any other eating disorder. In 2018, 70% of adolescent girls in Ontario had dieted, and adolescents who diet may be up to 92% more likely to develop an eating disorder. Also, those who participate in intermittent fasting are 21-45% more likely to develop an eating disorder. Adolescents with poor body image are 68% more likely to develop an eating disorder.
OSFED treatment involves working with one of our Registered Dietitians, one of our Registered Psychotherapists/Registered Counselling Therapists, or both.
And we treat any disordered eating behaviours and/or body image concerns that may not fit one of the diagnoses above.
Formal eating diagnoses can be difficult to get. More importantly, the absence of a diagnosis does not mean you are not deserving, or "sick enough" to require treatment.
Our interprofessional health team also supports clients with a history of dieting, suppressed hunger and fullness cues, and those that are looking to work on intuitive eating. You can learn more by setting up a free 20-minute consultation call with our Clinical Lead below.
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