Is anorexia treatable? That is the first question one asks upon learning about the disease.

The answer to that is ‘yes’, though the numbers in terms of response to treatment (total, partial, not at all) are not as encouraging as they should be.

Studies indicate that with anorexia being rooted in the mind, and there often being an inability to pin down exact specific causes, not even 1/2 of all anorexics have a 100 percent recovery. Besides, less than a third of all anorexics show improvement in their condition, and at least 20 percent or so continue to remain chronically ill.

Focus on restoring body weight

The first thing to do when treating an anorexic is, of course, focus all efforts to restore the normal body weight. This becomes critical as the degree of anorexia increases.

Neglecting this can have potentially lethal consequences. In the event of extreme anorexia, a patient should be admitted to the hospital and treated as an inpatient. Most anorexics are usually treated as outpatients.

Psychiatric counselling

It is also a good idea to start psychiatric counselling and treatment simultaneously. This goes a long way in bringing about a long-term improvement in the patient’s condition.

The path to recovery is long and painful, however. Parents and relatives, as well as the patient need to be told this up front. Besides, there are other tricky issues as well. For example, most of the times patients are brought for treatment unwillingly, and are hostile. They tend to think negatively of the people that bring them for treatment. This is where counseling and therapy helps immensely.

Anti-depressants may be prescribed

One of the commonest approaches during the early stages of treatment is the prescription of anti-depressives.

They are not known to work all the time, as research has not yet provided sufficient pointers in this direction. However, in the United States people have started recognizing the threat that anorexia poses, and there are various support groups and community centers dedicated to helping out families who have loved ones suffering from anorexia.