Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can impact a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health in negative ways. They are important to address with treatment because left untreated, they can lead to debilitating and severe, irreparable consequences. Outpatient eating disorder treatment provides help for individuals dealing with these specific types of mental health issues in a private setting without disturbing daily personal responsibilities. But, what can one expect from outpatient eating disorder treatment?

When Should Someone Consider Eating Disorder Treatment?

If disordered eating habits are interrupting your daily life and you are starting to notice debilitating side effects including a downgrade in physical health or mental health, it’s time to get professional help.

Some examples of debilitating symptoms of eating disorders that can help to pinpoint whether or not you need professional help can include:

• you’re starting to see a downgrade in your physical health or getting sick due to disordered eating behaviors
• you are avoiding others or things you usually would enjoy due to disordered eating
• your self-confidence has significantly decreased
• you’re skipping meals or not eating at all

Why Consider an Outpatient Program?

There are a number of reasons why people consider outpatient eating disorder treatment rather than a residential approach. Some of the benefits of an outpatient approach include:

• not having to leave the support of family and friends to get help
• not having to neglect day-to-day personal responsibilities
• outpatient treatment is often less costly than residential
• not having to skip work or school to get help
• it’s a great choice for early intervention or first-time treatment

Some Things to Expect From Treatment

The most successful and reliable eating disorder treatment involves a treatment approach with many aspects. This way, individuals can confront every issue, including underlying mental health issues, that may be stimulating their disordered eating behaviors. Some of the various types of therapy used in treatment may include:

• Family therapy
• Dialectical behavioral therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Nutrition therapy and education
• Group therapy

Entering Into Treatment – What to Expect

The first thing you can expect when reaching out for help is a mental health assessment. This will help your mental health specialist team to determine which type of eating disorder you may be dealing with. And, identify whether or not there are any underlying, concurring mental health issues that may be at play. This way, an individualized approach to treatment can be created in order to address your specific, personal needs.

After the assessment and diagnosis process, you can expect to go over your treatment plan with your mental health specialist team. This will involve setting goals for your treatment, the therapy that will be used during your time in therapy, and the length of treatment.

Getting Help for Eating Disorders at Yellowbrick

Yellowbrick offers help for individuals and families affected by eating disorders. We offer an outpatient approach to treatment so that individuals can get the help they need while benefiting from all the advantages of outpatient treatment. Find out more about what to expect from our treatment process and reach out to us to get started today.