Since Dr. M.K. (Khal) El-Yousef founded Fairwinds Treatment Center in 1989, he has treated our eating disorder and addiction patients with a unique dual diagnosis methodology, combining clinical treatment with therapeutic counseling. While too many addiction treatment centers focus primarily on patients’ physical improvement, Dr. El-Yousef and Fairwinds’ globally renowned eating disorder expert, Dr. Pauline Powers, have long believed that eating disorders are almost always triggered or exacerbated by underlying — often undiagnosed — psychological, mental and emotional issues. Without addressing these challenges, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and/or obsessive compulsive disorder, relapse is almost a certainty.
During Fairwinds Treatment Center’s 25-year history, emerging scientific and anecdotal evidence continues to support our experts’ assertion that internal problems cause or contribute to eating disorders. In a recent article in The Huffington Post, writer Sarah Illingworth shares her concurrent battles with both anorexia and anxiety, saying that — as is so often the case — the former was her way of coping with the latter.
“For me it became about desperately trying to find equilibrium,” Illingworth writes. “I was set on the belief that if I did things just so I could secure some sort of peace and everything would be okay. But the lie of anorexia is that it isn’t keeping you in balance, it’s helping you manage, at best. It’s the thing you think is holding you together, when in reality it’s causing you to fall apart.”
If someone you love is suffering from an eating disorder, it’s important to realize that it is unlikely to go away on its own. However, a lasting recovery is truly possible with the right treatment that promotes wellness of the mind, body and spirit. Contact Fairwinds Treatment Center in Clearwater, Florida, to learn more.
