WHAT WE TREAT

Anorexia Nervosa Treatment Center

While it can be terrifying to seek treatment for anorexia nervosa, recovery is possible. At Paracelsus Recovery, our aim is to restore your health and help you understand what is driving your unsustainable relationship with food. If we can understand these underlying causes, we can help you recover.

How we treat anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder characterised by self-starvation, an unhealthy body weight, an intense fear of weight gain and a distorted body image. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions and is a serious illness that requires immediate professional help.

Biological, physical, genetic, environmental, social, and psychological factors all play an important role in the development of anorexia. For example, psychological factors such as obsessive-compulsive personality traits, feeling a lack of control over one’s life, depression or anxiety can all contribute to the development of anorexia.

Individuals with anorexia usually suffer from profound perfectionism and a harsh ‘inner critic’ leading to feelings of immense guilt, shame, distress, and low self-esteem. Self-starvation can become a way of keeping these feelings from overwhelming the individual. If the body is in a state of starvation, the brain will enter into a numb state to preserve energy, which acts as a coping mechanism for these emotions, anxieties, and pain. As a result, eating can become overwhelmingly difficult for the individual because it reactivates these emotions.

One of the most significant barriers to treatment for someone suffering from anorexia is the body dysmorphia that the condition brings, whereby the sufferer often cannot see themselves as dangerously thin. Instead, they perceive their weight as either ideal or completely normal and may not believe they need help. It can therefore be difficult for the individual to understand when loved ones try to encourage them to seek help, leading them to distrust those around them.

Common symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:

Dramatic weight loss (but not always).
Persistent fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, despite being underweight.
Seeing oneself as overweight or being overly focused on body shape and size, even when underweight.
Severe restriction of food intake, often involving extremely low-calorie diets, fasting, or avoidance of certain foods.
Menstrual irregularities or complete loss of periods.
Dizziness, fainting and feeling cold all the time.
Excessive hair growth on the chest, face and arms.

Additional symptoms include:

What are the psychological symptoms of anorexia nervosa?

Constant thoughts about food, calories, dieting, and body weight.
Feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy, often tied to body weight and appearance.
An extreme drive for perfection, especially regarding body image and eating habits.
Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
High levels of anxiety, particularly related to eating, body image, and social situations involving food.
Distorted perception of one’s body and an intense fear of weight gain.
Feelings of failure, disgust, shame, guilt and low self-esteem.
Rigid thinking and a strong need to control.
A lack of emotional capacity or expression, feeling ‘numb’ a lot of the time.

What are the physical symptoms of anorexia nervosa?

Chronic tiredness and lack of energy due to malnutrition.
Hair loss, thinning hair, or brittle nails due to nutrient deficiencies.
Development of fine, downy hair on the body, a response to low body fat.
Sensitivity to cold, often feeling cold even in warm environments due to low body fat.

Dry skin, bruising easily, and poor wound healing.
Frequent illnesses due to a weakened immune system.
Swelling of the feet or cold, mottled hands.

What are the behavioural symptoms of anorexia nervosa?

Increasing social isolation.

Unusual eating habits such as cutting food into tiny pieces, eating very slowly, or rearranging food on the plate.

Excessive or obsessive exercise to burn calories, even when exhausted or injured.

Avoidance of social situations, especially those involving food, to maintain restrictive eating patterns.

Refusal to acknowledge feelings of hunger, often claiming not to be hungry despite obvious undernutrition.

Stashing food away or hiding it to avoid eating in front of others or to maintain control over food intake.

Obsessive preoccupation with weight, calories, food, dieting and fat grams.

Increasing refusal to eat certain foods or categories of food.

Frequent feelings or comments about feeling fat despite weight loss.

Excessive sleep and a lack of interest in once-loved activities or events.

bespoke treatment

How we treat anorexia nervosa

At Paracelsus Recovery, we understand that anorexia is a complex and isolating condition. We know that each person’s journey with anorexia is unique, which is why we don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Your stay with us will involve a bespoke treatment plan, thoughtfully structured to meet your specific needs. We can’t tell you exactly what your four-week stay will look like because your recovery path will be as individual as you are.

Each day will be carefully designed to include a range of therapeutic elements that work together, addressing the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of your anorexia. Our multidisciplinary team will be with you every step of the way, supporting you in understanding the deeper causes of your condition, restoring your physical health, and helping you develop a more compassionate relationship with food and your body.

Our approach considers the whole person: mind, body and soul

We treat anorexia nervosa with a 360-degree treatment approach. Alongside extensive psycho-education, our treatment is a unique combination of intensive psychotherapy, biochemical restoration and numerous complementary therapies.

Our treatment approach focuses on understanding your relationship with food and the psychological issues driving it. We conduct intricate testing to identify any co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma, that may be influencing your eating disorder. These conditions are often interwoven with anorexia, and we believe that treating them simultaneously is crucial for lasting recovery.

Through this comprehensive understanding of your unique situation, we design a personalised treatment plan that not only stabilises weight and nutritional health but also addresses the core psychological factors that have led to the development of anorexia.

A key part of our approach is the development of long-term behavioural changes. Our aim is not to take control away from you but to help you regain it in a healthy, sustainable way. We empower you to rebuild trust in your body, challenge harmful thought patterns, and learn new coping strategies that support a balanced, fulfilling life. Every step of the way, we are here to support you with care, empathy, and expertise, helping you rediscover who you were before, and who you are beyond the anorexia.

our approach

Therapist at Paracelsus Recovery anorexia nervosa treatment centre

Anorexia nervosa treatment environment at Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich

Personalised anorexia nervosa care at Paracelsus Recovery

Holistic treatment approach for anorexia nervosa at Paracelsus Recovery

15+ team members, all dedicated to your health and well-being

Our team is made up of world-renowned doctors, therapists and specialists, including a Nobel Prize-winning board member. This team of more than 15 experts will be dedicated to you and by your side throughout your stay with us at our anorexia nervosa treatment centre. This includes a personal psychiatrist, medical doctor, dietitian, client relations team, and many others. At the heart of this team is a live-in therapist, there to provide emotional support and help you address intrusive thoughts 24/7 throughout your entire stay.

Meet your team

Comprehensive programmes as unique as you are

We curate our comprehensive anorexia nervosa treatment programmes to suit your needs as an individual. In every instance, you can expect cutting-edge therapies delivered with medical excellence.

We can provide treatment for anorexia nervosa and any co-occurring mental health conditions at our anorexia nervosa treatment centre in Zurich.

Four-week residential treatment

Seven-day executive detox