Understanding Your Eating Disorder Treatment Options
When you suffer from an eating disorder, it can be very difficult to see a way out of your situation or past your disorder. While it can be easy to feel as if there is no escape from your eating disorder and all of the havoc it has wrought in your life, there are options available to help you overcome this issue. Get to know more about some of the treatment options that are available to help people with eating disorders. Then, you can be sure you are doing what is best for your eating disorder recovery and your overall health.
Inpatient Treatment
One of the best ways to go about getting treatment for your eating disorder is to go through an inpatient treatment program. Also referred to as residential treatment, inpatient treatment is a form of addiction treatment in which a person stays in the eating disorder center for their entire treatment program. This means that a person will be under supervision and care 24 hours a day while they go through therapy and treatment sessions.
There are numerous benefits to choosing inpatient eating disorder treatment. Firstly, support and care will be there for you at all times of the day or night. You will also be supervised to prevent any binging and purging or any other disordered behaviors. This also means that you will be much less likely to relapse into those unhealthy behaviors while in inpatient treatment because you will be so well-monitored and supported by the treatment staff.
Partial Hospitalization Treatment
Some people cannot afford inpatient rehab or have duties at home that require them to be home at least some of the time. For those individuals, partial hospitalization treatment, sometimes also referred to as intensive outpatient treatment, can be a good option. This is an eating disorder treatment option that generally involves spending between six to eight hours a day in treatment. More often than not, partial hospitalization treatment only occurs on weekdays.
As such, partial hospitalization treatment is the equivalent in time commitment to a full-time job. When a person chooses partial hospitalization treatment for their eating disorder they will be getting many of the benefits of inpatient treatment, in that they will have a great deal of therapy and treatment in a short period of time. However, it offers the freedom to be at home on evenings and weekends which is great for people with children or other family members that need them around.
Outpatient Treatment
A third option for eating disorder treatment is standard outpatient treatment. This is the least intensive option for eating disorder treatment and can be quite flexible in nature. It only requires a few hours a week in commitment to treatment and therapy, and the rest of your time you are free to spend as you please.
Many people seeking eating disorder treatment think that outpatient treatment is the best way to go, but there are a few drawbacks to keep in mind. Because it is so flexible and you have so much freedom, it can be easy to fall back into disordered eating patterns even while in treatment. Outpatient treatment also takes quite a bit longer than other treatment options because less time is spent per day on recovery.
Now that you know more about your eating disorder treatment options, you can be sure that you choose the one that is best for you.
