Eating Disorders services offered in Virtual Office, Columbus, OH
If you struggle to eat a healthy amount of food or purge after meals, board-certified psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner Kimberly Gilbert MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, is here for you. At Source 23 Psychiatry, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio, she diagnoses and treats anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, pica, and other eating disorders to restore your health and quality of life. Call her office today to book an appointment, or use the online booking tab.
Eating Disorders Q&A
What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders affect how you interact with food, how much food you eat, and your physical and mental health. Eating disorders can also cause problems in interpersonal relationships. See Kimberly at the first sign of an eating disorder to be treated and get your life back on track.
What types of eating disorders are there?
Common eating disorders include:
Anorexia nervosa
People with anorexia are often underweight because they eat too few calories to sustain a healthy weight. They often think they are overweight, but to others, they look extremely thin. People with anorexia have a distorted image of their bodies. They’re at risk of nutrient deficiencies, hair loss, weakness, anemia, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases.
Bulimia nervosa
If you have bulimia, you might binge on high-calorie foods and immediately purge. Purging includes intentionally throwing up after meals or completing high-calorie-burning workouts to compensate for calories consumed. The cycle of binging and purging is often difficult to break. But it’s harmful to your physical and emotional well-being.
Binge-eating disorder
The hallmark sign of binge-eating disorder is eating a large amount of food all in one sitting and being unable to control your calorie intake. Binge-eaters often carry excess body weight, which increases their risk of chronic diseases.
Pica
People with pica crave eating nonfood items — paint chips, clay, dirt, crayons, chalk, and the like. Eating nonfood items causes medical problems, but people with pica can’t stop ingesting these harmful substances despite knowing the risks.
How are eating disorders diagnosed?
While the cause of eating disorders isn’t always clear, past trauma, low self-esteem, and a lack of a solid social support network can play roles in their development.
Kimberly diagnoses eating disorders by weighing you, determining your body mass index (BMI), and asking about your emotions and behaviors associated with food. She completes a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to determine which additional mental health challenges you might struggle with.
How are eating disorders treated?
Kimberly offers many treatments for eating disorders. She takes a faith-based approach to psychotherapy (talk therapy) to teach you ways to overcome your condition and achieve a healthy body weight. You might also take medication to ease depression or other mental health struggles that commonly coincide with eating disorders.
She recommends in-patient (live-in) treatment programs in severe cases to help you break unhealthy eating habits and live your best life.
Schedule an appointment today by phone or online at Source 23 Psychiatry, LLC, if you suspect you or a loved one has an eating disorder.
