What are treatments for eating disorders?
Eating disorders represent a complex and multifaceted challenge, affecting individuals across diverse demographics with different needs. In navigating the landscape of treatment options, it is important to understand the different treatments that are available. Also, you can decide what treatment is best for you and your unique needs.
Before we discuss the treatment options available, we want you to know that you are not alone in this struggle and that help is available.
What is the rate of eating disorders?
National studies suggest that approximately 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will grapple with an eating disorder at some stage in their lives. It's crucial to address our biases surrounding eating disorders, as there's a tendency to associate them primarily with thin, cisgender, heterosexual, and able-bodied individuals. This narrow perception can lead to delays in diagnosis, underdiagnosis, and increased barriers to accessing treatment for those who don't fit this stereotype.
What population does disordered eating generally affect?
Marginalized communities face heightened risks of developing eating disorders due to various factors such as macro and microaggressions, discrimination trauma, and minority stress. Despite similar prevalence rates of eating disorders across racial and ethnic groups, people of color are disproportionately less likely to receive support for their struggles with eating issues.
Transgender college students report disordered eating at a rate approximately four times higher than their cisgender peers, with a startling 71% of transgender youth aged 12 to 24 having been diagnosed with an eating disorder according to a 2018 study by The Trevor Project.
Notably, 42% of men with eating disorders identify as gay, and teenage girls from low-income backgrounds are 153% more likely to experience bulimia compared to their peers from more affluent families. Over the span of a decade from 1999 to 2009, hospitalizations of men due to eating disorder-related causes surged by 53%.
Research on the intersection of disability and eating disorders remains lacking, despite an estimated 12.6% of Americans living with some form of disability. Studies indicate that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder are particularly vulnerable to developing binge eating disorder (BED), pica, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), conditions that are notably more prevalent within this population.
The National Eating Disorders Association, NEDA, is working to help address the inequities in eating disorder research.
What is the purpose of a treatment Team for eating disorders?
Eating disorders are caused by a complex interplay of physical, psychological, and social factors. A multidisciplinary team can provide comprehensive support addressing the various aspects of the disorder, including medical, nutritional, and mental health needs. This approach ensures that individuals receive holistic care tailored to their unique circumstances, promoting better outcomes and long-term recovery.
Psychotherapy: Evidenced-based interventions such as internal family systems (IFS), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and interpersonal therapy (IPT) aim to unravel the psychological underpinnings of disordered eating behaviors.
Nutritional Counseling: Complementary to psychotherapeutic interventions, nutritional counseling with expert ED dietitians assumes a pivotal role in cultivating a balanced and sustainable relationship with food.
Pharmacotherapy: In instances where co-occurring psychiatric conditions exacerbate the trajectory of eating disorders, pharmacotherapy emerges as a viable adjunctive treatment modality.
Group Support: The importance of community support in fostering recovery from eating disorders cannot be overstated. Participation in group therapy or support groups offers individuals a platform for communal validation, mutual encouragement, and the exchange of coping strategies amidst shared experiences.
Hospitalization, Partial Inpatient Treatment: (see “levels of care” below)
eating disorder treatments — levels of care:
There are different options for treatment including levels of care. The level of care may be determined based on your current struggles and symptoms. Levels of care can range from medical hospitalization to outpatient treatment programs, like the ones we offer at Side By Side.
Medical hospitalization: This is the first step towards treatment for those whose eating disorder behaviors have led to medical instability. This attention will allow for medical monitoring until the patient is stable and can transition to the next level of care.
Residential: This involves temporarily staying in a facility, day in and day out, and working with an integrated treatment team. This allows for around-the-clock support including supervision during and after meals and increased monitoring of behaviors.
Partial hospitalization: PHP is the next level that allows individuals to attend treatment at an inpatient facility for 5 days per week and up to 8 hours per day (varying depending on the program). These individuals have contained eating disorder behaviors to the point where they can have meals at home while still having most meals in the facility. PHP programs don’t involve staying overnight, rather it is day treatment.
Intensive Outpatient: IOP individuals continue to reduce their eating disorder behaviors and engage in treatment recommendations but still benefit from some structured support.
Outpatient: OP level of care involves individual meetings with a therapist and dietitian 1-2x per week. Eating disorder recovery is possible at the OP level with treatment team-based approaches and with treatment modalities such as FBT.
Please remember that you do not have to figure out which level of care is appropriate for you on your own. Seeking out an experienced eating disorder professional can provide you with educated support in what might best fit your needs and help point you in the right direction. Recovery is personal and is based on your needs, finances, access, and more.
If you are unsure of your first steps in treatment, outpatient care and an assessment with one of our dietitians is a great place to start!
Our devoted team of nutrition experts specializing in eating disorders is dedicated to guiding clients toward a journey of healing that transcends fear and shame. By addressing concerns around food and dismantling negative body image perceptions and behaviors, we empower clients to reclaim ownership of their relationships with food and body and to shift their outlook, beliefs, and behaviors towards love, respect, and acceptance. This transformation paves the way for sustainable recovery and lasting well-being. Together, we strive to eradicate feelings of shame related to food and body image, identify triggers that fuel self-doubt, and nurture a trusting relationship with both food and body, creating space for our authentic selves and true values to emerge and thrive.
Recognizing that each individual holds the key to their own healing journey, our diverse team of medical nutrition specialists facilitates a process of self-exploration and empowerment. Recovery from an eating disorder and disordered eating extends beyond overcoming the eating disorder; it involves cultivating a rich and empowered life through healing around food and body image.