Recognizing the signs
Anorexia:
Low body weight
Feels as though he or she is overweight, even when that is clearly not the case
Denial of hunger
Preoccupation with body weight and shape
Obsession with food and its nutrients
Food rituals
Excessive exercise and dieting
Anxiety regarding weight, meal time, and social activities or gatherings
Frequent fatigue and overall weakness
Dry, thinning, or loss of hair
Dry skin and brittle nails
Frequently cold, wearing multiple layers to hide body or to stay warm
Amenorrhea
Bulimia Nervosa:
Frequent fluctuations in body weight
Frequent episodes of bingeing followed by purging
Hiding food to eat in private
Feeling of loss of control during binge episodes
Feelings of shame and guilt when eating
Preoccupied with body weight and shape
Preoccupied with exercise and dieting
Signs of purging include frequent trips to bathroom, swollen cheeks, cuts or scabs on knuckles and back of hands, discolored teeth and tooth decay
Withdrawal from social activities and gatherings
Binge Eating Disorder
Frequent episodes of bingeing
Feeling of loss of control during binge episodes
Hiding food to eat in private
Feelings of shame and guilt when eating
Eating when not physically hungry
Eating past the point of discomfort
Eating alone
Diabulimia
May have extreme weight loss
Disordered eating behaviors including restriction or bingeing
Secrecy around insulin administration
Frequent episodes of hypoglycemia
Nausea and vomiting
Increase of thirst and urnination
Diabetic ketoacidosis, DKA
Yeast infection, bladder infection
Liver disease
Levels of Care
OUTPATIENT TREATMENT At the outpatient level of care, the individual lives at home and attends weekly sessions with their provider. INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) typically occurs in a specialized setting where individuals attend programming approximately two to three times a week for at least three hours each time. PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) or Day Treatment typically occurs five days a week for six to eight hours each day. The individual remains medically stable but requires more intensive, structured programming to reduce eating disorder behaviors and achieve progress in recovery. RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT Residential treatment provides 24-hour care/supervision for individuals who are medically stable but still engaging in eating disorder behaviors. Intensive supervision and support are required to help the individual reduce, and ultimately stop, self-destructive eating disorder behaviors. Services include multiple weekly sessions of individual therapy, nutrition counseling, group therapy, family therapy, and psychiatric care. All meals and snacks are supervised and provided in a supportive environment. INPATIENT TREATMENT Inpatient treatment is most appropriate for individuals whose eating disorder is either not responding to treatment in a less intensive setting or clinical evidence strongly indicates that the individual requires a higher level of care. The individual may also be at risk of harm to self and/or others that requires treatment in a structured 24-hour medical or psychiatric inpatient unit. ACUTE MEDICAL STABILIZATION Acute Medical Stabilization is the highest level of care for individuals with eating disorders. This level is critical care for individuals who are medically unstable due to the severity of their eating disorder and the resulting medical complications.
