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A Comprehensive Outpatient Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment
Eating disorders occur from a combination of genetic, environmental, and individual factors that are unique for each person. The Walker Wellness Clinic offers three programs: Standard Outpatient Program (SOP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and the Day Program. Our comprehensive clinical programs are designed to expedite the road to recovery by providing effective multidisciplinary treatment that addresses all facets of this complex disorder.
The Walker Wellness Clinic and Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa may be defined as morbid fear of becoming overweight. It affects 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States. These individuals normally remain 85% below their ideal body weight by refusing to eat enough for their bodies to function normally. Patients subject themselves to constant self-evaluation, resulting in psychological distortions that cause these individuals to feel overweight and flawed, even as their weight drops dangerously low. Left untreated, this disorder can be pursued to the point of organ failure, amenorrhea, cardiac complications, and osteoporosis.
Bulimia Nervosa affects 5% of adolescent females in the United States. A binge is defined as consuming a large amount of food in a short period of time and eating more than what the average person would consume. A patient with bulimia will use compensatory behaviors such as self- induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, excessive exercise or restricting. Individuals with bulimia can consume anywhere from 2000 to 3000 calories in one sitting, which is equivalent to the daily caloric intake of a healthy male.
Binge Eating Disorder affects 1% of women in the United States. Characterized by extreme overeating, this disorder affects individuals who force feed their bodies and disregard whether or not they are hungry or full. Patients who have binge eating disorder feel uncomfortably full and experience self-loathing and guilt after the binge eating behavior occurs.
Unfortunately, a majority of the cases of these disorders continue in secrecy and go untreated, developing into an unhealthy lifestyle. Chronic dieting can be a gateway to potential eating disorders, in which the patient forms a negative and then destructive relationship with all types of food. However, The Walker Wellness Clinic offers a history of success in treating patients with formal eating disorders.
The Walker Wellness Clinic incorporates traditional individual, group, and family programs for patients with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Patients must be medically stable in order to meet the criterion for outpatient treatment. The Walker Wellness Clinic’s exercise physiologists, psychologists, and nutrition consultants offer an opportunity for patients to achieve long-term lifestyle changes.