Home > Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders > Diets

Definition

Special diets are designed to help individuals make changes in their usual eating habits or food selection. Some special diets involve changes in the overall diet, such as diets for people needing to gain or lose weight or eat more healthfully. Other special diets are designed to help a person limit or avoid certain foods or dietary components that could interfere with the activity of a medication. Still other special diets are designed to counter nutritional effects of certain medications.

Purpose

Special diets are used in the treatment of persons with certain mental disorders to:

• identify and correct disordered eating patterns
• prevent or correct nutritional deficiencies or excesses
• prevent interactions between foods or nutrients and medications
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