Eating Disorder Programs of the Past and Today
Eating disorder programs have come a long way. Fifteen years ago the only place women could go to find an eating disorder program was a locked psychiatric hospital. Back then, it was built around making patients eat by any measure available, shock treatment and strong medications. While each of these methods have merit in individual cases, it could be termed medical malpractice for many other cases that failed miserably. Research pointed to the fact that state funded hospitals were not designed, nor was the staff trained, to treat eating disorders. It is believed that one of the first, if not the first, residential eating disorder program in the United States opened in 1985. Since then hundreds upon hundreds of eating disorder programs have emerged providing quality care.
The Complexity of Treating Eating Disorders
Under the best of circumstances, anorexia nervosa is difficult to treat. This and other eating disorders cross all cultural, religious and socio-economic boundaries. Ten million American women suffer from anorexia or bulimia and 25 million are afflicted with binge eating disorder. Low numbers of women fully recover from eating disorders. This is not necessarily due to the quality of the eating disorder programs, but rather directly related to the complexity of associated with eating disorder treatment and recovery. Treatment at even the best eating disorder centers takes time. While a person might improve medically, some of the self destructive behaviors that led to disordered eating might not improve. In some cases, the patient might improve both clinically and medically, only to run into trouble psychiatrically requiring an additional stay in the eating disorder center.
Choosing the Best Eating Disorder Program
It's important that you choose an eating disorder program such as ours at The Women's Center for Healthy Living. This nationally recognized center for the treatment of women works in conjunction with our other addictive disease programs, as well as trauma and dual diagnosis treatment programs. We understand that every individual has unique needs and we provide professional and caring support to help individuals to achieve a lifelong plan for recovery and healthy living. Our family recovery program provides treatment and education for the entire family affected by their loved one's eating disorder. By building supportive relationships and recognizing and addressing the physical and emotional aspects of eating disorders, together we can save lives.
For more information about our eating disorder programs, call us now at: 1-800-391-4309. All calls are toll-free and completely confidential.
