OSFED Signs, Symptoms and Rehab Treatment

The health risks that come with having OSFED, or Other Eating Disorders and Feeding Disorders are diverse and many. This is because OSFED can easily result in various maladaptive eating or exercise behaviours that cause long-term damage to the mind and body.

In the event you suspect you or a loved one has OSFED, it is best to get a diagnosis as soon as possible, so that treatment can immediately begin. Failure to treat the illness promptly can result in extensive damage to your physiology, some of which may be fatal. Our services are available to diagnose and treat OSFED and ensure you make a lasting recovery.

Call Primrose Lodge today on 0203 553 9263 to speak to one of our specialists about NHS options and our eating disorder rehab clinic.

Our Eating Disorder Clinic

Primrose Lodge is made up of a team of experienced specialists with the competence and resources to safely and effectively help you overcome your eating disorder. Our comfortable and welcoming clinic is easily accessible from all parts of the UK.

After carefully evaluating your specific illness, we will develop and personalise the most effective Osfed rehab treatment plan to suit your needs. While in our care, you will be in the competent and compassionate hands of our medical staff who will keep you healthy, comfortable, and safe at all times.

What is OSFED?

OSFED (Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders) can be described as a class of disordered eating that is characterised by maladaptive thoughts and behaviours related to eating, food, and body image. The diagnostic criteria of OSFED don’t satisfy that of specific illnesses such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa, thus the name other specified feeding and eating disorders.

Commonly seen forms of OSFED include over-exercise, orthorexia, diabulimia, and body dysmorphic disorder. There’s also:

Atypical Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder of Lower Frequency
Night Eating Syndrome
Purging Disorder

What Causes OSFED?

The causes of OSFED will vary from individual. But, generally, biological, psychological and sociocultural factors can all contribute to the development of the illness.

Biological causes: This is comprised of factors such as family history, genetics, neurobiology influencing hunger and satiety cues, as well as temperament.
Psychological causes: Past experiences, such as trauma, can contribute to the development of OSFED. Mental states such as anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, depression, perceived loss of control, loneliness, and feelings of inadequacy can all also contribute to the illness or exacerbate it.
Sociocultural causes: Outside influences such as influence from media or peer pressure can also lead to OSFED. Widespread encouragement by society to be skinny can also cause or contribute.

Signs & Symptoms

The symptoms manifested in someone with OSFED will depend on the nature of the eating disorder the individual has. The sooner you become aware of an eating disorder, the sooner you can begin treating it. And the sooner you begin treating it, the better. To be able to identify OSFED in its early stages, you need to know what tell-tale signs to look out for. These tell-tale signs can be either physical or behavioural in nature.

Physical symptoms can include:

Absence of menstruation (in females)
Brittle nails
Dehydration
Dizziness or fainting
Dry skin
Extreme weight loss or gain
Fatigue
Intolerance to cold
Irregular heart rhythm
Seizures
Thinning hair
Low blood pressure

Behavioural symptoms, on the other hand, can include:

Distorted body image
Strange rituals associated with food and/or eating
Binge eating
Purging by laxative abuse, diuretic abuse, self-induced vomiting, or compulsive exercise
Manipulation of insulin for weight loss
Restricting calories and/or self-starvation

Obsessive exercise behaviour
Obsession with food cleanliness or purity
Intense shame or anxiety related to food, eating or body image
Loss-of-control eating behaviours. For example, eating past satiety, impulsive eating, night eating/nocturnal eating
Compulsive food behaviours such as obtaining and eating food out of the garbage, or hiding food

How do We Treat OSFED?

The best approach to treating an eating disorder will depend on the unique needs of each patient, the nature of the specific disorder, and a variety of other factors. To make sure you get the best possible treatment, we will first put you through our evaluation process. The results of the evaluation will be used to personalise a treatment plan that covers all aspects of your disorder.

Generally, OSFED treatment in our facility consists of the use of talking therapies, psychotherapy, talking therapies, behavioural therapy, medication, family therapy, and nutrition counselling. The goal of the treatment plan developed for you will be to achieve the following:

Restore you to a healthy body weight
Address distorted thinking
Treat emotional problems such as low self-esteem
Help you make behavioural changes that will allow you to achieve lasting recovery

For the best results, treatment may be long-term, because there is the possibility of relapse.

Treatment For 16 to 19-Year-Olds

If your loved one between the ages of 16 and 18 has OSFED, our sister centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, can be of assistance. Treating an eating disorder differs between adults and teenagers because of the developmental problems that may occur in younger individuals. Our sister centre in Banbury has the necessary resources and expertise to help your teenager retake control of his/her life, recover from an eating disorder, and stay healthy long term.

OSFED Post Treatment Support

Our follow-up care and continued support ensures that the positive effects of your treatment are not short lived. After you are discharged from our facility, you can take advantage of our post treatment support through aftercare services. This will help you stay focused on living a healthy lifestyle and minimise the risk of relapse. Our support system will also help you overcome any stressors or triggers that might cause you to relapse into negative eating behaviours again.

In Summary

If you or a loved one suffer from OSFED, we can help. Call our confidential helpline today by dialling 0203 553 9263 to get started on the safe and effective path to recovery.