Eating Disorders Treatment in Dubai


Overcome your Eating Disorders with the help of our experienced Psychologists and Psychiatrists in Dubai

Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that cause you to become obsessed with your body shape and weight, leading to unhealthy and sometimes dangerous eating habits. These eating habits may include:

  • Limiting the amount of food you eat
  • Consuming a lot of food in one sitting
  • Trying to remove calories from your body using unhealthy methods e.g. making yourself sick, abusing laxatives, or exercising in an excessive way

These behaviours can be really damaging and can have a negative effect on lots of different areas of your life, as well as your physical and mental health.

At Nafsology Psychology Center, we understand that it can be difficult to cope with eating disorders, and seeking help can be a struggle.  Eating Disorders are treatable – get help today!

What are the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder?

The signs and symptoms of eating disorders can be different for different people and also depend on the type of eating disorder you’re struggling with.

The following are all common signs that you may have an eating disorder:

  • Having an obsession with food
  • Feeling as though food has taken over your life
  • Feeling as though you’ve lost control over your eating habits
  • Being obsessed with your physical appearance and what other people think of your body
  • Believing you’re fat when other people say you’re thin
  • Having an abnormally low or high body weight
  • Wanting to eat alone or in secret
  • Becoming distressed during mealtimes
  • Feeling guilty and ashamed when you eat
  • Depression
  • Anxiety

What causes an eating disorder?

Research shows there are lots of different factors that can make it more likely that you’ll develop some form of eating disorder. These include:

  • Genetics

Having a close relative, such as a sibling or parent, with an eating disorder can make it more likely that you will also struggle with an eating disorder at some point in your life. This could be down to inherited genes, early environmental influences, or a mixture of the two

  • Biology

Research shows that having certain chemicals in the brain may increase the chances of someone developing an eating disorder

  • Gender

Statistics show that women and girls are more likely to develop an eating disorder than men and boys. However, it’s still possible for males to struggle with eating disorders. In fact, eating disorders can affect anyone of any gender, age or background

  • Psychological health

If you have underlying mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), this can make it more likely that you’ll develop an eating disorder

  • Environment

The environment around you and various things going on in your life can increase the chances of you developing an eating disorder. Examples include being under a lot of stress at work or school, being criticised for your weight, going through a bereavement, or experiencing abuse

  • Society

Society also has a role to play and can influence whether you go on to struggle with an eating disorder at some point. This includes things like feeling under pressure from the media to be thin, and having a hobby or a job where being thin is seen as being important, such as modelling, athletics, or dancing

What are the different types of eating disorder?

There are four main types of eating disorder, and each one has its own symptoms. These include:

  • Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia causes you to become obsessed with being thin and have a strong fear of gaining weight. It can also mean you have a distorted body image, which makes you believe you’re fat even when you’re very thin. If you’re diagnosed with anorexia, it’s likely that you’ll be preoccupied with keeping your weight as low as possible and may try to achieve this using lots of different methods. These include starving yourself and ‘purging’ your body of the calories you’ve consumed which involves making yourself sick, abusing laxatives or exercising excessively

  • Bulimia nervosa

This eating disorder causes you to binge eat, where you eat lots of food in one sitting, followed by purging to try and remove the calories you’ve consumed. Your bingeing and purging behaviours can be triggered if you’re anxious, stressed or hungry. Unlike anorexia, people with bulimia tend to stay a ‘normal’ weight, which can make this eating disorder difficult to spot

  • Binge eating disorder (BED)

This is characterised by regular binge eating, where you eat huge amounts of unhealthy food in one sitting, even when you’re not hungry. However, if you have BED, you won’t purge afterwards, which means you’re at risk of becoming obese

  • Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED)

Previously known as ‘eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)’, OSFED can have features of all of the above eating disorders, but don’t meet the exact criteria for a diagnosis

  • Where to get help for eating disorders

If you or a loved one are living with an eating disorder then it is important that professional support and treatment is urgently sought. Contact us at Nafsology Psychology Center today.