MINERAL DEFICIENCY TREATMENTS

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), together with medication where necessary, is the best available treatment for mineral-deficiency nervosa. A key component of CBT is nutrition education and dietary guidance.

Nutrition education consists of teaching the patient about body weight regulation, energy balance and the effects of starvation. Patients also learn about misconceptions about dieting and weight control and the physical consequences of purging.

Meal planning helps the patient to plan main meals and snacks and to include 'banned/forbidden' foods or snacks. This step is critical in helping to break the cycle of bingeing and purging. Discontinuing purging and normalising eating patterns are a key focus of treatment. The calorie content of the diet is set so as to maintain weight and, importantly, to help prevent hunger, as hunger is frequently reported as a trigger for bingeing episodes.