Anorexia: Therapy and Treatment in London

Anorexia nervosa is characterised by a severe restriction of food intake driven by an intense fear of weight gain and a distorted relationship with the body. It has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. And yet, paradoxically, it is frequently experienced by those who have it as a solution rather than a problem — as the thing that provides control, structure, and a sense of competence in a life that otherwise feels chaotic or inadequate.

This is the central therapeutic challenge of anorexia: the thing that needs to change is also the thing that is currently providing something essential. Treatment that approaches anorexia as simply a behaviour to be corrected — without engaging with what function it is serving — tends to produce compliance without recovery.

What anorexia is doing psychologically

In most presentations, restriction is a response to an intolerable internal state — a feeling of being out of control, of being too much or not enough, of having a self that is inadequate or unacceptable — that the discipline of restriction temporarily resolves. The body becomes the domain in which an otherwise ungovernable life can be governed. The thinness itself becomes a communication: of suffering that cannot be spoken, of a refusal of the nourishment that the world has not felt safe to receive.

Effective treatment works with the psychological meaning of the anorexia at the same time as addressing the medical and nutritional risks. Dr Jacquet holds a Doctorate of Professional Studies and is the only person in Europe to have received a doctorate specifically on male eating disorders, reflecting an unusual depth of specialism in this area.

Treatment approach

Treatment at the practice integrates psychotherapy, nutritional support, and medical monitoring for more severe presentations. The initial consultation will establish what level of care is appropriate and whether a stepped approach — beginning with outpatient therapy and escalating if needed — or a more intensive initial frame is indicated. All treatment is highly confidential.