Recovering from an eating disorder is a challenging journey. It can take several years to achieve a fully recovered state. While full recovery is possible, relapses and lapses may occur. Risks of relapse is thought to reach up to 36% and are most common during the first 6 months after intensive treatment.¹,² Relapses worsen symptomatology and make the recovery process more difficult. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of possible relapse risks and spot relapse triggers. Spotting these triggers can potentially aid in avoiding a full relapse.

By: Maya Azar Atallah

Reviewed By: Chloe Baum

Lapses and relapses are common during the road to recovery. It is important to recognize the difference between a lapse and relapse. A lapse is a setback that can be corrected by the patient, while a relapse requires professional help.² Both may trigger symptoms and disordered eating behaviors to resurface.³ It is often difficult to correct disordered behavior once a relapse occurs. Relapses usually occur in times of elevated stress. Signs of relapse include isolation from social events or gatherings, preoccupation with food and body, a sense of guilt after a meal, and mirror checking and self-weighing.⁴ There are several ways to deal with relapse episode, which include:

Identify The Triggers

Triggers can vary to anything from a picture on social media promoting diet culture, to conversations about food, numbers, calories, and weight. Individuals should identify triggers and use the skills acquired during recovery to cope with those urges.⁵

Develop Coping Mechanisms⁵,⁶

It is important to adopt the skills learned during CBT or DBT sessions. Try to develop a coping plan to tackle eating disorder thoughts and feelings. Common coping strategies include calling a friend, reading a book, drawing, listening to music, going for a walk, and reframing negative thoughts into positive ones.

Build A Support System⁵,⁶

Having a support system offers a source of extra help in the recovery process. It is helpful to have someone for support and accountability during vulnerable times. This support can come from family, friends, health care providers, or a support group where you can meet peers facing similar challenges.

Practice Self-Care⁶

Focusing on self-care is necessary to avoid relapse. Self-care does not have to be time consuming or expensive. It can be going for a walk, taking a shower, watching a comforting TV show, or calling a friend. Notice what activities make you feel good, spot the people who encourage your progress, discover yourself outside of your eating disorder, and detach from any negative influences which might drag your recovery down.

Celebrate Your Achievements⁶

Recovery is never perfect, and experiencing ambivalence, lapse, and relapse is common. Returning for more frequent nutrition counseling is not a sign of failure, but one of wisdom.² Be mindful of how far you have come and recognize every step, action, and goal you have achieved.

Lapses and relapses can occur at any point of recovery. It is always important to be in touch with your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to identify any critical changes or triggers that might interfere with your recovery. If you experience a relapse, you should seek support as soon as possible.

At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues. In addition to our full-time Day Treatment Program and Weeknight Intensive Outpatient Program, we offer high-quality programming, nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, and various other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns.

Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.

This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Maya Azar Atallah (she/her).

Maya is a Registered/Licensed Dietitian who is passionate about disordered eating and eating disorders. She is an advocate of the intuitive eating model and believes in the HAES movement. She recently completed a Masters degree in nutrition and behavior from Bournemouth University UK, and as part of her MSc, she conducted research among Lebanese young adults, evaluating the relationship between frequent usage of nutrition fact labels on packaged items, weight control measures, and its probable predictive factor of eating disorders incidence. She aimed to assess if high reliance on nutrition fact labels could be used as a tool triggering weight control measures and the onset of eating disorder symptoms. Maya likes preventing and assisting in the treatment of disordered eating and eating disorders, and loves to get involved in the field to help society become less weight centric, promote body inclusivity/positivity and shift away from the weight stigma society we live in, which can compromise health so much. She wants to help people in their eating disorder recovery by getting them the right or needed renourishment and guiding them through all the steps of the intuitive eating approach. She also hopes to pursue a PhD in public health to design policies for the primary prevention of eating disorders.

This post was reviewed by Chloe Baum (she/her).

Chloe is a graduate student at New York University completing her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. Throughout her studies, Chloe has become passionate about the treatment and awareness of eating disorders. After she graduates, Chloe hopes to specialize in eating disorders so she can promote body neutrality and help people in need of eating disorder counseling. In her free time, Chloe loves to cook, travel, and spend time with her husband and 7-month-old Jules.

References

Keel, P.K., Dorer, D.J., Franko, D.L., Jackson, S.C., and Herzog, D.B. 2005. Post-remission predictors of relapse in women with eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(12), 2263-2268.
Herrin M, Larkin M. Nutrition Counseling in the Treatment of Eating Disorders. New York, NY: Routledge; 2013.
Derrick, A. 2018. Eating disorder relapse is common. Eating disorder recovery center. https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/blog/recovery/Eating-Disorder-Relapse-is-Common.
Recovery & Relapse. The national eating disorder association NEDA. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/recovery
Kelly Mental Health,. What is recovery, relapse prevention. https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/recovery/relapse-prevention/
Smith, L. 2017. 5 relapse prevention tips for eating disorder recovery. https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/5-relapse-prevention-ed-recovery

How To Avoid An Eating Disorder Relapse