Treating OSFED

Reaching out for help is the best way to get the Otherwise-Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) support you need and deserve. After recognising and identifying the symptoms, a professional can provide an OSFED diagnosis and recommend treatment. 

In general, treatment recommendations will be based on the eating disorder that most closely resembles your symptoms. For example, if you’re mostly showing symptoms of lower frequency bulimia, the treatment plan will involve the same therapies and medications used for bulimia.

Even if your symptoms and experience don’t seem to fit a specific diagnosis, if you’re experiencing distress related to eating, exercise, body shape, and weight, you should consult a professional as soon as possible. Research supports that early intervention makes a big difference in OSFED recovery.

OSFED treatment incorporates evidence-based therapies proven to support long-term recovery. These might include:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-ED)  

You will usually see your therapist weekly and work through a personal treatment plan to start making changes in your behaviour.  These will involve:

  • Coping with feelings
  • Understanding nutrition and starvation
  • Helping you to make healthy food choices and manage what you eat

You should be given simple homework to help you put into practice what you’ve learned. You’ll also be taught how to monitor your own progress and how to cope when you find it hard to stick to your new eating habits.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a structured program of psychotherapy with a strong educational component designed to provide skills for managing intense emotions and negotiating social relationships.

Treatment typically consists of weekly group, skill-focused meetings as well as individual therapy sessions that specifically focus on four key areas:

  • Mindfulness enables individuals to accept and be present in the current moment by noting the fleeting nature of emotions and learning to direct action.
  • It includes learning the ability to tolerate negative emotion rather than needing to escape from it or acting in ways that exacerbate difficult situations.
  • Emotion regulation strategies give individuals the power to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in their life.
  • Interpersonal effectiveness techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, whilst maintaining self-respect, and strengthening relationships; a core principle is that learning how to ask directly for what you want diminishes resentment and hurt feelings.

Family-Based Treatment (FBT) 

Designed for adolescent clients, FBT considers family members and caretakers vital members of the treatment team. Parents and caretakers take part in treatment with their teen so the skills and knowledge learned can become part of their lives at home.  It will involve:

  • Thinking about how your family can help you to get better
  • Learning about what happens to your body when you are starving
  • Supporting your parents to help you manage your eating until you feel ready to take control again
  • Working with your family to make sure they give you independence when you need it and are ready for it
  • Preparing for the end of treatment

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