If you or someone you love has been suffering from an eating disorder and outpatient sessions have not been helpful, considering a treatment center is the next best option. Because most types of eating disorders are severe and often co-occur with other disorders, choosing the right treatment center is extremely important for optimal healing and recovery.
Deciding to choose an eating disorder treatment center can easily overwhelm anyone. You may feel fearful or apprehensive about starting this phase of recovery but be encouraged that you are about to make the best possible decision for your life.
Here is a brief overview of what to expect from rehabs for eating disorders and what benefits they offer.
What to Expect During First Few Days of Eating Disorders Residential Treatment
On the very first day of arrival, a client is expected to undergo a medical work-up and a detailed nutritional assessment that usually includes:
- Data gathering about the history of eating disorders
- Information on the current symptoms related to the eating disorder
- Review of lab work (including blood and urine tests), physical assessment, and an ECG test before admission
- Checking weight and height to calculate BMI
These assessments provide clients a chance to get to know their care team in a better way. At the same time, the data gathered through these tests allow experts to curate a treatment plan that best suits their needs.
Once the assessment is complete and a care plan has been formulated, most clients will jump into treatment from day one. While the exact structure of this treatment program may vary, it usually includes:
- One-on-one sessions with a therapist a few times a week
- One-on-one sessions with a psychiatrist at least once a week
- Multiple weekly support group meetings to gain insight into the problem and develop healthy connections with food
- Lifestyle management and coping skills development classes
Choosing the Best Eating Disorders Treatment Center for Your Loved One
Shortlisting an eating disorder treatment center from hundreds of rehabs working worldwide is essential for many reasons. After all, committing to treatment at a rehab means a commitment of money, time, and emotional resources. Hence, the shortlisting process must be carried out vigilantly and thoroughly while keeping in mind the following tips.
Levels of Care
While choosing a rehab, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the different levels of care available at these facilities. Some include inpatient programs, partial hospitalization, outpatient treatment, and intensive outpatient programs. Take some time out to research these levels of care and choose a rehab that offers all of them so that they can provide you with a treatment plan that best suits your needs.
Individualized Approach
All the best eating disorder treatment centers offer individualized treatment to people of all genders and ages with compassion and respect. The treatment teams in these rehabs often perform pre-admission checks and assessments to know clients better and custom-make a program that fits their needs perfectly.
Trained Staff Members
Eating disorders can be of different types. Some common types include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, ARFID, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Before you finalize an eating disorder rehab, ensure that they have adequately-trained staff to offer support for your particular diagnosis.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Co-occurring Disorders
Oftentimes, an eating disorder may present with one or more co-occurring issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, or substance abuse. A good rehab offers a dual diagnosis treatment plan for such individuals to not only treat their eating disorder but also manage its complications. These complications may include low heart rate, nausea and vomiting, anemia, insomnia, delayed digestion, intestinal blockages, pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, and electrolyte imbalance, to name a few.
Clearly Defined Treatment Goals
A good eating disorder rehab must have a clear operational definition or treatment goals. So whenever you are considering a particular treatment center, don’t forget to ask them about their goals for treatment, what services they offer to achieve them, and how they decide when patients are ready for discharge.
Tour of the Facility
If the rehab you are considering joining is nearby, consider arranging a tour to look at its operations more closely. The tour does not come with any obligations and can provide you with an opportunity to observe the staff members, accommodations, and the overall treatment structure. You may also request a meeting with the doctors or therapists to have your queries answered.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it so important to join an eating disorder treatment center?
An eating disorder treatment center provides a whole-person approach formulated by a multidisciplinary treatment team for long-term recovery and healing. This particular treatment approach is beneficial for people requiring medical intervention and mediation. These ED treatment centers also provide a structured and well-controlled environment essential for healing. Having a team of specialists constantly caring for you makes recovery more manageable and approachable.
Which therapies are commonly included in a residential eating disorder treatment program?
Both inpatient and outpatient eating disorder programs provide a combination of group counseling, one-on-one therapies, and skills training to help clients address and change their unhealthy eating patterns. Some of the most commonly used therapies to achieve the treatment goals include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Pharmacodynamic therapy
- Art therapy
- Interpersonal psychotherapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy (BDT)
- Family-based treatment
- SMART recovery
- Mindfulness-based approaches
- Yoga therapy
The primary treatment goal at an eating disorder clinic is to break disordered eating patterns, and different therapies can help clients learn to accomplish it. As a part of these therapies, clients can also accept the triggers that lead to eating disorder behaviors and develop tools to overcome them.
What is daily life like at an eating disorder treatment center?
Most eating disorder treatment centers are well-structured with carefully-designed programs to help clients focus on recovery. The meals provided to the residents are supervised, and healthcare workers are readily available to help those who need support. These staff members acknowledge how mealtimes can be difficult for people with an eating disorder and are willing to help them adjust to normal eating again. Clients may also be taken to planned outings at different grocery stores and restaurants and encouraged to cook meals for themselves to achieve this goal. These activities are performed under the supervision and can help them relearn healthy eating behaviors.
Therapies are regularly scheduled for all clients, sometimes more than once daily. Some luxury eating disorder treatment centers also provide music, art, and yoga therapies for extra support. Therapists are always available round-the-clock to provide support and assistance, even outside their scheduled therapy sessions.
Leisure time at a residential rehab for an eating disorder is usually supervised and does not permit using computers or phones. Instead, clients are encouraged to engage in relaxing hobbies, such as drawing, reading, playing board games, or journaling. Many eating disorder programs include active participation from family members of their clients. This participation can occur during therapy sessions or mealtimes and makes a recovery easier for their loved ones.