Help with an eating disorder in combination with other psychological complaint(s)

Where food was formerly mainly a source of energy for our bodies, today we increasingly regard it as a source of enjoyment. Some people, however, have a love-hate relationship with food.

An eating disorder is characterised by compulsive interaction with food. This could mean that you either eat too little or too much. In both cases, eating plays a big role in your mind: you are busy thinking about food the whole day. It's important to know that U-center is not an eating disorder clinic. A serious eating disorder requires a specialized approach, often with intensive daily care. U-center cannot provide this nursing and specialized care.

Eating disorder symptoms

People experience eating disorders differently

Someone with an eating disorder is obsessed with eating and / or their weight. In many cases, they have a distorted image of their body. If you have an eating disorder you probably think you are too fat, which is probably far from the reality. When food as well as body weight are part of the disorder, you may set strict rules for yourself regarding your weight. You might eat at strict times, or when you can no longer resist the temptation. People with an eating disorder often make a distinction between eating well or incorrectly, referring to food high in calories as eating incorrectly.

Symptoms

An eating disorder can have far-reaching effects on your social life and your ability to function in society. It can also have serious consequences for your physical and psychological health. An eating disorder can lead to:

Irregular heart beat
Lowered blood pressure
Fainting
Infertility
Dehydration
Heart problems, High cholesterol levels
Sweating
Stomach and intestinal complaints, Dental problems
Feeling depressed
A negative self-image, Lack of self-confidence
Fear of socialising

Irregular heart beat
Lowered blood pressure
Fainting
Infertility
Dehydration
Heart problems, High cholesterol levels
Sweating
Stomach and intestinal complaints, Dental problems
Feeling depressed
A negative self-image, Lack of self-confidence
Fear of socialising

Does U-center treat eating disorders?

U-center is a mental health clinic, specialized in the simultaneous treatment of multiple diagnoses (comorbidity). U-center is not an eating disorder clinic, nursing or hospital. If you have an eating disorder as a single complaint and/or you are bound to (daily) intensive physical nursing or hospital visits, then unfortunately we cannot offer the right help. If, in combination with anorexia nervosa, you are seriously underweight, require a special diet or have to be given tube feeding, then a specialized institution is more appropriate and we refer you.

Different types of eating disorders

People with anorexia nervosa have an irrational fear of becoming overweight. They have a distorted self-image as a result of which they really believe that they are too fat, when in reality they are often far too thin. They plan their meals meticulously and starve themselves. They are constantly thinking of food, and of not eating. People suffering from anorexia also often over-exercise, thinking that they can lose even more weight. Being excessively underweight can be life-threatening. For this reason, U-center often refers people with anorexia to other specialised centres.

Bulimia is characterised by binge eating attacks followed by a strong urge to undo the binge episode. During a binge, an excessive amount is eaten in a short space of time. The binge eater often chooses food rich in calories and only stops long after actually feeling full. As with anorexia, people suffering from bulimia often have a distorted image of their body, and are fighting a fear of becoming fat. Following a binge, they often vomit or take laxatives to undo the binge.

People with BED often have heavy binges over which they have no control. In many cases the binges are a way of coping with emotions or tension. Since people with BED do not compensate their binge attacks, they are often overweight.

Although genetic factors and metabolic illnesses can also have an influence, the main cause of obesity is an unhealthy diet in combination with too little physical activity. Because the amount of calories absorbed is more than the energy needed, the fat builds up and clogs up veins. The excess weight can eventually lead to heart and vascular disease, diabetes and arthrosis. Mental problems like depression and a loss of self-confidence can also result.

Integrated and personalized approach

An eating disorder often does not come alone. Rather, there are often underlying issues that sustain the problem. That is why we take an integrated approach, where we take into account everything that has had an important influence on your life. We look at your personality, relationships, family situation, work and health, all of which can influence an eating disorder. Together with your treatment team, you will examine where your unhealthy relationship to food comes from, in order to really be able to remove the cause of your eating disorder, and change your behaviour patterns.

Intensive programme

In an intensive programme of 7 weeks, we do everything to help you, so you can quickly make progress. The advantage of residential treatment at our clinic near Maastricht for the first seven weeks, is that you benefit from a short-term, intensive and integrated programme where all complaints can be treated in parallel. Using a personal treatment plan, you set out what you want to achieve and how you are going to do this together with your treatment team. Our clinic’s hospitable environment and its extensive facilities ensure that you have all the resources needed to work on yourself. Over the second period, you will put the new insights and knowledge you have gained into practice under the guidance of your therapist.

Loved ones

How can I support?

Living with a partner or relative with psychological problems or addiction is not easy. As a close relative you often also have many questions and concerns or you have become overburdened. U-center offers help and information for partners and family members who want to know how to best deal with their loved ones without forgetting themselves.