Residential Eating Disorder Treatment

Why Choose Residential Eating Disorder Treatment

Eating disorders affect millions of Americans each year. These disorders may have a mild or moderate impact on your mental health. However, they may also have a severe impact. If you are severely affected by an eating disorder, you may need the help of a residential treatment program.

Residential eating disorder treatment provides more extensive care than an outpatient program. It also supports recovery of your well-being in a number of other ways.

For these reasons, residential treatment is considered an essential resource for helping severely affected people. In some cases, it may also help you recover from more moderate eating disorder symptoms.

Eating Disorder Basics

Eating disorders are grouped together into their own category of mental illness. Each disorder produces its own unique effects. However, every one of them involves harmful changes away from a pattern of eating that supports your health.

The two most well-known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People with anorexia develop an ongoing pattern of heavily restricted eating.

In contrast, people with bulimia alternate between episodes of food binging and efforts to purge the resulting calories.

Most people have heard of anorexia and bulimia. Still, neither of these conditions ranks as the most common eating disorder. That distinction goes to an illness called binge eating disorder.

People with this disorder experience recurring food binges. However, unlike people with bulimia, they do not follow up these episodes with food purging.

A little over 1% of all American adults have binge eating disorder. Anorexia affects about 0.6% of adults. Roughly 0.3% of all adults have bulimia.

The eating disorder category also includes the following lesser-known illnesses:

• Rumination disorder
• Pica
• Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder

In addition, you may have significant problems that do not fully meet the definition of any one eating disorder.

No one knows exactly why eating disorders occur. However, statistics show that women and girls develop them at a much higher rate than men and boys.

Depending on the illness, the most common age for experiencing initial symptoms ranges from 18 to 21.

Residential Treatment Vs. Inpatient Treatment

Some people consider residential mental health treatment a synonym for inpatient treatment. However, this is not accurate. Inpatient treatment is a broader category of care that includes a stay in a residential facility.

This category also includes inpatient treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

Residential Treatment

Residential treatment does not take place in a hospital. Instead, it takes place in a non-hospital, setting. During your enrollment, you live at you treatment facility on a 24/7 basis. Some facilities are completed dedicated to residential care. You may also find facilities that include residential care among other treatment options.

Psychiatric Hospitalization

Psychiatric hospitalization represents a step up from residential treatment. It is designed for people who:

• Are in unstable condition that calls for intense monitoring
• Pose a serious risk for suicide
• Create a similar risk for injury to others

In the U.S., there are roughly equal numbers of residential and psychiatric facilities.

Criteria for Residential Eating Disorder Treatment

How can you tell if you need residential eating disorder treatment? Doctors only recommend this kind of program in certain situations. The criteria for residential eating disorder treatment instead of outpatient treatment include:

• Being too impaired by your symptoms to remain at home
• Failing to get adequate symptom relief while in an outpatient program
• Having additional mental illness or a substance problem
• Not having sufficient support in your home environment
• Needing further observation to clarify the nature of your symptoms

There are also criteria that make residential care more suitable than hospitalization. These criteria include:

• Having relatively stable symptoms that do not require intense monitoring
• Not being at-risk for suicide
• Lacking the intention to harm other people

The typical person in a residential program has severe overall symptoms. In some situations, you may also qualify for this level of care if you have moderate symptoms.

Features of Eating Disorder Residential Treatment Centers

Several kinds of treatment may be featured in a residential program. The most common options are psychotherapy and nutritional counseling. Types of therapy known to help include:

• IPT, or interpersonal therapy
• CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy
• CBT-E, or enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy
• Psychodynamic therapy
• DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy
• ACT, or acceptance and commitment therapy

Each of these options is used to achieve specific goals. For example, CBT and CBT-E help you establish thoughts and behaviors that do not support disordered eating. It is common to receive multiple kinds of therapy, not just one.

Nutritional counseling helps you establish healthier eating habits. A variety of methods can be used to reach this goal. Examples include such things as:

• Explaining the nutritional impact of eating disorders
• Showing you how to follow a scheduled eating pattern
• Teaching you how to meal plan
• Helping you steer clear of binging or dieting behaviors

The features of eating disorder residential treatment centers may also include medication. This is a less common option. However, doctors use it in certain circumstances.

For example, if you have bulimia, an antidepressant may help you avoid food binging and purging. The same type of medication may also help prevent binging episodes if you have binge eating disorder.

An antidepressant may also be used to treat certain additional mental health issues. The list of common issues includes depression. It also includes anxiety disorders.

What to Bring to Residential Eating Disorder Treatment

What should you bring to residential eating disorder treatment? Most treatment programs strike a balance between personal comfort and a focus on recovery. Take clothing for example. Most facilities ask you to bring items appropriate for the time of year. However, they also ask you to leave behind potentially distracting items such as:

• Short skirts
• High-heeled shoes
• Shorter-length shorts
• Tank tops

The same balance typically applies to technology. Most facilities allow you to bring a phone. However, as a rule, you can only use your phone at certain times of the day. That basic rule usually applies to personal tablets or laptops, as well.

You should also bring essential toiletry items, as well as any prescribed medication. Additional things to bring include:

• Your ID
• A credit or debit card
• Your health insurance card

You may also want to bring a journal, magazines or books.

The Best Eating Disorder Residential Treatment

The best eating disorder residential treatment is a plan that fits your unique needs. An effective plan relies on options known to provide benefits for your particular illness. It also sets reachable goals that you work toward over time.

Good plans not only address your current needs. They are also adjustable. As your condition changes, they change as well. This means that you may receive many different kinds of help while enrolled in treatment.

High-quality programs also have other important characteristics. First and foremost, they employ experienced treatment providers. These providers are experts in their field. They also follow all current guidelines for effective care.

In addition, the facility itself matters. Top facilities provide comfortable surroundings that support your recovery. They also ensure that those surroundings are safe and secure. In addition, they provide prompt assistance for any emergency situations.

Residential Eating Disorder Treatment Near You

Is there residential eating disorder treatment near you? If you live in or near a major city, the answer to that question is probably yes. However, if you live in a less populated area, you may need to travel for treatment.

This may seem like an inconvenience. However, chances are you will not have to travel too far. And for most people, the benefits of effective care make the journey worth it.

Ask your doctor for advice on finding a suitable facility. You can also ask an eating disorder specialist.

Choose Emerald Isle Recovery for Treatment

All eating disorders lead to serious disruptions of your mental health and well-being. Outpatient programs sometimes provide enough help for you to overcome these disruptions. However, residential treatment for an eating disorder is common.

Psychotherapy and nutritional counseling form the core of eating disorder treatment. Multiple types of therapy may be included in your treatment plan. This is true because each therapy option helps you in its own way.

Nutritional counseling supports your return to health-promoting food habits. Medication plays a more limited role in eating disorder treatment. However, your specific plan may include an antidepressant or other option.

If you are suffering from an eating disorder, choose Emerald Isle Recovery for treatment. We offer inpatient services designed for the treatment of each of these disorders. We also offer outpatient services for those better suited for this recovery option.

All Emerald Isle plans feature treatments known to help people affected by disordered eating. In addition, all plans are full customized. In consultation with our experts, you focus on treatments that fit your personal circumstances.

As those circumstances change, your plan will be modified to provide the maximum possible benefits. We are committed to helping you recover from the life-altering effects of eating disorders.

For more information on how we can help, call us today.