Treatment options Anorexia

Have you come to Novarum to find a treatment for an eating disorder? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our Amsterdam clinic is here to help people with anorexia. The best choice of treatment for you depends on the nature and severity of your eating disorder.

We work with you to decide which eating disorder treatment would suit you best. This could be an individual outpatient treatment plan, in which you visit us at appointed times. But we also offer group treatments. In certain cases, clinical admission is needed. This would normally be for five days, from Sunday through Friday, sleeping at Novarum, but this plan can be modified by agreement.

Treatment using the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Enhanced (CBT-E) method

CBT-E is an evidence-based personalised treatment method devised by Chris Fairburn. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated by several international studies, and it offers a perspective in the case of eating disorders that are generally difficult to treat.

Fairburn’s CBT-E method has several advantages. It is more effective than regular eating disorder treatments and the average treatment duration is shorter. Patients feel personally acknowledged and appreciated in the treatment, which depends strongly on self-direction and activation. Moreover, this evidence-based treatment method was developed specifically to address eating disorders.

The method is directed towards the body’s own central maintenance mechanisms, and this is the reason for its greater effectiveness. Other interventions whose effectiveness is unproven are no longer provided.

Outpatient treatment

Individual conversation sessions
You visit Novarum for conversation sessions with a clinical psychologist or behavioural therapist. These sessions generally last 45 minutes. The number and frequency of sessions are set after the intake procedure.

Clinical treatment
Sometimes an eating disorder is so dominant that outpatient treatment does not help, or does not help enough. In this case it may be necessary to put all other activities on hold for a short period and to concentrate entirely on dealing with your eating disorder. In such cases we offer a five-day inpatient treatment. The aim of this intensive treatment is that your complaints are reduced enough to give a follow-up outpatient treatment a good chance of success. After the intake you will be given binding advice on the suitability of this clinical treatment option. Happily, this clinical admission is not usually needed.

What is the treatment like?

Clinical treatment comprises individual therapy and group classes. You will be treated by a multidisciplinary team made up of psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, behavioural therapists, dietary experts, a psychomotor therapist and a general practitioner. Besides working to normalise eating habits and beginning to recover from underweight, all therapeutic components are based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E) and overcoming avoidance behaviour.

Clinical treatment structure

During clinical (inpatient) treatment you will spend five days and nights per week at Novarum. Because you will be at home at the weekends, it will also become clear whether you can take what you have learned at Novarum and successfully apply it at home. The emphasis is on the symptoms of the eating disorder. The central aim is to acquire healthy eating habits (without compensation behaviour), together with recovery from any underweight. During the treatment, therapies are added to address any problems that perpetuate the eating disorder. The final phase of the treatment addresses issues such as rebuilding social contacts and resuming work or study activities.

Treatment duration

The treatment duration varies between 4 and 8 weeks, with another 2 weeks for the finishing phase. In this last phase you will spend half a week at Novarum. Depending on your journey time, you will either arrive in the morning and go home after the evening meal or stay at Novarum.