Technology has improved many things in life. Recently, technology has helped improve treatments for eating disorders. Eating disorders are now treated more effectively thanks to technology. Different types of technology can be used for treatment plans, including virtual reality therapy and technology-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy. These treatments have been found to reduce symptoms related to food cravings and help patients become more aware of their thoughts about food.
Treatment plans for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders have become more effective over time. As a result, technology has paved the way for better health outcomes for people who have struggled against eating disorders their whole lives.
What Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are a collection of mental and physical illnesses that affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Therefore, technology-assisted therapies for eating disorders are designed to target the way patients think about food to reduce their symptoms related to it.
People who suffer from eating disorders are usually consumed by their illness, but technology can help them better understand how they are feeling and what triggers these thoughts. Usually, people who have eating disorders do not look at food the same way as other people do. For them, their illness is something that cannot be overcome. However, technology can help them focus on making better choices for their eating habits to improve.
The different kinds of eating disorders include the following:
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Anorexia
Anorexia is characterized by extreme weight loss, which is due to food restriction. People who suffer from this disorder are particular about what they eat and avoid eating more than a certain amount of calories per day. As a result, they become malnourished and weak.
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Bulimia
People who have bulimia eat a lot of food in one sitting, but then they force themselves to throw it out or vomit after eating because they feel that they have already eaten too much. In general, people with this disorder are obsessed with their weight and tend to want to be thin. As a result, they can lose weight rapidly if they’re going to.
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Binge eating disorder
People with binge eating disorders generally eat a lot of food in one sitting and feel that they have lost control over their eating habits. In general, people who suffer from this disease are prone to being overweight or obese due to the amount of food they consume during binges. People who have this eating disorder can develop an inability to control their food intake and feel like they cannot stop eating even though they are already full.
Using Technology to Treat Eating Disorders
There are several technology-assisted therapies for eating disorders. These include the following:
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Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET)
VRET uses immersive simulations of actual or imagined events because they have been shown to ease anxiety in many mental health patients. VRET helps with eating disorder treatment because it allows patients to experience situations that cause them stress in a safe environment where they are not exposed to any real danger. As a result, patients can better understand their triggers and fears, which helps improve treatments.
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Computer-aided cognitive behavioral therapy (CACT)
This technology combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and VRET to create a treatment that is still tailored towards the patient’s needs and provides more structure than traditional CBT. It has been shown to be effective in treating eating disorders because it gives patients more control over their treatment.
Treatment technology is becoming increasingly important as the world becomes more reliant on technology. New advances are created each year that can help people suffering from mental health disorders better understand themselves and find ways to improve their quality of life.
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Mobile technology apps for eating disorders
With technology-assisted therapies getting better by the minute, more and more programs have been developed using mobile technology to help people with eating disorders. For example, technology can help people with eating disorders create and follow meal plans using their mobile devices or understand the nutritional values in different food by letting technology do all the work for them.
There are even apps that track how much one eats throughout the day to ensure they’re not overeating which is a common problem among those suffering from eating disorders. As a result, technology is making it easier than ever to receive treatment for eating disorders.
Technology for Treating Eating Disorders
With technology-assisted therapies getting better by the minute, more and more programs have been developed using mobile technology to help people with eating disorders. As a result, it has become easier for people with eating disorders to achieve better health outcomes.
