Anorexia Treatment Programs

Anorexia Treatment Centers – Your Options

What is Anorexia?

Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that involves self-starvation (food restriction). The person suffering with anorexia refuses to maintain a healthy body weight in their desperate attempt to be "thin." Individuals with anorexia are at least 15% below the most minimal “ideal” weight for their age, height and body frame.

For people with anorexia, their self-esteem is tied to their weight and body. They have a distorted body image. Even when they are emaciated, a person with anorexia will still see themselves as "fat." Weight loss is seen as an achievement. To gain weight would mean failure and complete lack of self-control.

As you can imagine, anorexia has dire health complications including:

• Heart failure
• Osteoporosis
• Severe dehydration
• Kidney failure
• Muscle loss
• Lanugos (downy layer of hair all of the body)
• Death (affecting as many as 15% of sufferers)

Learn more about anorexia.

Anorexia Treatment Programs

Different anorexia treatment programs have different approaches. No one approach is considered best for everyone, however, it is important to find an anorexia treatment program that is most effective for you. The following is a list of questions you might want to ask when contacting anorexia treatment programs.

1. How long have you been treating eating disorders and particularly, anorexia nervosa?
2. How is your anorexia treatment center licensed? What are your credentials? Do you belong to the International Association of Eating Disorder Treatment Professionals?
3. What is your eating disorder treatment philosophy? Please note that there are many different types of philosophies. Which approach will work for you depends upon your individual situation and needs.
4. Does the facility have a quality improvement program in place to assess the outcome of the program?
5. What are the patient guidelines of your anorexia treatment program?
6. What kind of evaluation process will be used in recommending an anorexia treatment plan?
7. What kind of medical information do you need to enter the program? Will I need a medical evaluation before entering the center?
8. How long will the anorexia treatment program take?
9. Is your program reimbursable by my insurance and is the treatment for anorexia specifically covered?

Ask the anorexia treatment programs you are considering to send you informational brochures detailing the treatment, the services, the prices, etc. The more information you have on different anorexia treatment programs, the easier the decision-making process will be.

One of the most important elements to consider when choosing an anorexia treatment program is the credibility of the center. If you require our assistance in locating effective anorexia treatment centers in your area, please give us a call at 1-800-542-4610.