Facing Food Fears to Help Kids Overcome Eating Disorders

Published on April 5, 2023

Imagine being afraid of roller coasters. The way your heart races and your palms get sweaty just thinking about it. In exposure therapy, you gradually face this fear, starting with something less intense like a kiddie ride and working your way up to the biggest coaster in the park. Well, it turns out that a similar approach can help adolescents with eating disorders. A recent study discovered that exposure therapy, which involves confronting feared foods like candy bars and pizza, can reduce anxiety towards food in these individuals. This means that by gradually exposing themselves to the foods they fear, young people in treatment programs for eating disorders may be able to overcome their anxieties and develop a healthier relationship with food. It’s like starting with a bite-sized piece of cake and eventually enjoying the whole dessert! While more research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness and long-term benefits of exposure therapy for eating disorders, this study offers promising results and gives hope to those struggling with these conditions. If you want to learn more about this fascinating study on using exposure therapy to help kids with eating disorders, check out the detailed research!

Whether you’re afraid of dogs, needles or enclosed spaces, one of the most effective interventions for this type of anxiety disorder is exposure therapy in which you confront your fear in a safe environment. A new study finds that exposure therapy is also a promising treatment for adolescents with eating disorders. They found that exposure to feared foods — such as candy bars and pizza — helped kids who were in a partial hospitalization program for eating disorders experience decreased anxiety toward food.

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