Local members of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, a participant"run 12-step program for treating eating disorders, swear that it has changed their lives, but many mental health professionals are skeptical that a self-help program could work better than therapy.
Two members of the local group, who must remain anonymous as part of their participation in FA, spoke glowingly about the program.
One woman alternately struggled with anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating from the age of 11. She said that she has been eating normally for 18 years due to FA's amazing efficacy.
The other woman maintains that she has lost 100 pounds and "kept it off for many, many years."
FA treats food as an addiction that members work to cure. They do so first by submitting to the ethos that they are powerless over their food consumption and then by listening to how others have dealt with their own food problems.
Marcia Herrin, Nutritionist at Dick's House, explained that treating eating disorders with 12-step programs is controversial for a number of reasons.
Technically, an addiction is defined as a dependence on a substance, she said. Although 12-step groups focus on specific foods such as white flour or sugar as being addictive, there is no scientific or medical evidence to back up this claim.
However, both members of FA insisted that there were certain "trigger foods" that set them up for unhealthy eating. One described certain foods as making her "crazy" and setting her up to binge.
The problem with this method of treating food like an addiction, Herrin said, "is that food becomes the enemy, rather than part of the solution."
She added that FA's focuses on powerlessness in the face of an addiction and that "some people think telling women that they are powerless is not psychologically sound."
Heidi Fishman, a therapist who treats eating disorders at Dick's House, explained that eating disorders typically stem from a desire for control.
She said that, although she is not familiar with the specifics of how FA works, the structured agenda of 12-step programs can result in "substituting one set of rules for another" and not getting at the problem itself.
"What we do here is try to treat eating disorders from several different angles," Fishman said. This includes nutritional counseling, an exploration of underlying psychological issues and medical monitoring to make sure that the eating disorder is not causing any immediate, serious damage.
Fishman said that she has found antidepressants useful in treating patients who have underlying depression or anxiety disorder in addition to an eating disorder.
Both said that in addition to therapy and possible medication, they recommend Dartmouth's eating disorder counseling group, where students can benefit from the support of peers struggling with similar issues.
Fishman explained that in unmonitored support groups like FA, there is the possibility of participants picking up unhealthy behaviors from each other. For Dartmouth's group, either she or Herrin acts as a moderator.
Despite these criticisms, one of the FA members described it as "a program that offers help for people who sometimes feel hopeless."
Participants say that FA is often a last resort that people turn to only after other methods have been unsuccessful.
Echoing a sentiment common to participants in 12-step programs, one woman said "It has been a program of spiritual recovery."
According to FA's official website, the program was developed over 20 years ago in the Massachusetts area. Since then, it has spread across the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe.
