I have been diagnosed with a mild case of anorexia. I do not starve myself, but I do restrict my eating (I eat three meals a day with two snacks in between). I am very rigid in my eating -- I eat the same foods each day with a small amount of variation. I eat many low-fat or nonfat foods, salads, proteins, etc. I follow the food pyramid. I am working on adding more food to my diet to help compensate for my exercising (one hour per day). Can I overcome my eating disorder by myself with the help of my husband and family?

Ann

I can't comment on your situation or prognosis specifically without evaluating you personally. I do, however, believe it is possible for some people to recover from psychological and behavioral problems -- including mild eating disorders -- on their own.

Other people, however, might address some of the symptomatic behaviors on their own but never acknowledge or address the underlying issues that fuel their problems. In those individuals, persisting -- or insisting -- on working on their issues without professional help may mean they never completely heal the true problem.

Whether someone works on a eating disorder in or out of psychotherapy, there are important aspects which must, in my opinion, be identified and addressed in order for true healing to occur. On the surface, eating disorders -- whether anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive (or binge) eating -- seem to be about weight, the amount of food eaten (or not eaten), and, often, purging through various means (including exercise). But below the surface are usually issues about control (or lack of control) of one's life, difficulty identifying and appropriately expressing and managing a variety of feelings, and deep beliefs that one is fundamentally unacceptable in some way. For more about some of these issues, read Susan Kano's Making Peace With Food and Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter's When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies: Freeing Yourself from Food and Weight Obsession.

The pursuit of thinness or weight control can become an obsession for people who are not comfortable with themselves as they really are. Sometimes that can be a means of avoiding or distancing oneself from painful feelings. Of course, there are environmental or social factors at play, too -- such as a multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry dependent on people NOT being happy with their natural size.

You mention the possibility of your husband and family helping you overcome your eating disorder. I think it's wonderful your family is supporting your efforts to change. Of course, though, the individual herself (or himself) is the only one who can truly effect any needed changes. That's true even if the person is in therapy, or even hospitalized. It's a common pattern, for instance, for anorexic girls or women at dangerously low weights to be hospitalized until they gain weight (sometimes through forced feeding) and then discharged only to go right back into their old patterns of starving and purging, with predictable results. That's because the roots of the anorexia were not addressed and the individuals never internalized healthier behaviors. The new behaviors were foisted upon them, and thus subsequently shucked at the first opportunity.

In short, whatever tools or resources you use to aid your recovery -- psychotherapy, family support, self-help books -- the real changes are ultimately up to you anyway. But keep in mind that a psychotherapist experienced in treating eating disorders may be able to provide you with a safe venue to explore and experiment with what works best for you. Good luck.