(ThyBlackMan.com) Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses that can result in a wide variety of long-term health consequences without proper treatment. They can affect people of all ages, genders, races and cultural backgrounds, but eating disorders most often develop during adolescence. Effective treatment for eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder typically requires access to medical and psychiatric care. With residential care, adolescents can work with a team of health professionals that may include medical doctors, registered dieticians, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, therapist, psychiatrist and more. While the idea of psychiatric treatment can be alarming for some parents, this is often the best care option for younger clients.
The Role of a Psychiatrist: Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment for Eating Disorders
Psychiatric care plays an important role in the eating disorder treatment process for many adolescents. There are several levels of care available to people with eating disorders. For those who are considered to be both medically and psychiatrically stable, intensive outpatient or day treatment is often a good fit. These clients aren’t in need of daily medical monitoring and are able to keep their symptoms under control to where they can participate in their regular school, work and social commitments.
Inpatient care is often the best eating disorder treatment option for clients who are both medically and psychiatrically unstable. For example, these clients may have unstable vital signs, complications from their eating disorder that affect other coexisting medical problems like diabetes, rapidly worsening symptoms and/or suicidal thoughts. All of these factors make inpatient psychiatric care a valuable aspect of comprehensive eating disorder treatment.
A psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner with eating disorder expertise understands the intricacies of common eating disorder behaviors. In fact, many general psychiatric symptoms are common in those with an eating disorder diagnosis. For example, many teens with eating disorders also experience co-occurring condition like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive thoughts, depression, alcohol and drug use, and self-harm. And in order to provide complete care for young clients, psychiatric treatment must be understood and addressed appropriately.
Medications and Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment
A number of pharmaceuticals have been FDA approved for use in treating common eating disorders. These are often SSRI medications that help to relieve the symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD. Although primary care physicians can prescribe psychotropic medication for eating disorder clients, this process is best done under the supervision of a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Access to this level of care is one of the greatest benefits of the inpatient psychiatric care process. In fact, many adolescent clients are referred to eating disorder centers that offer inpatient psychiatric treatment because they have been diagnosed with co-occurring conditions like panic disorder, major depressive disorder, and substance abuse.
How Does Psychiatric Care Help the Recovery Process?
Comprehensive psychiatric treatment allows for clients to overcome secondary conditions that may interfere with eating disorder treatment. For example, if a adolescent is experiencing symptoms of depression that makes it difficult to engage in group therapy or other lower levels of eating disorder care, a secondary condition can make it hard to address any disordered eating behaviors. In cases like this, inpatient psychiatric care is necessary to stabilize their depressive symptoms before they can enjoy the full benefits of eating disorder treatment.
Adolescent Inpatient Eating Disorder Treatment at Clementine
At Clementine, we are proud to provide the highest level of medical and psychiatric care outside of a hospital setting. Our multidisciplinary approach to adolescent eating disorder care allows our younger clients to discover the tools they need to enjoy long-term eating disorder recovery in a safe, comfortable and luxurious residential treatment center.
Staff Writer; Ronald Ross
