Day Program • Intensive Outpatient • Standard Outpatient
Warning Signs
Characteristics
The girls and women who develop eating disorders often display similar characteristics. These characteristics are but not limited to the following:
- They tend to be highly emotional reserved and cognitively inhibited
- They prefer routine, orderly and predictable environments and adapt poorly to change
- They show heightened conformity and deference to others
- They avoid risk and react appetitive or affectively stressful events with strong feelings or distress
- They focus extensively on perfectionism which appears to manifest itself in widespread negative self-evaluation
Symptoms of Eating Disorders
- Constantly thinking about “feeling fat”
- Preoccupation with food, weight, calories and body image
- Binging
- Purging
- Skipping meals, eating alone and unusual food choices
- Laxative and/or diuretic abuse
- Compulsive exercising
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Having weight problems determined self-esteem
- Frequent weigh-ins
- Constantly eating beyond normal appetite
- Denial and defensive behavior about changes in weight, appearance or eating habits
- Rapid weight loss
- Eliminating meat or other food groups from the diet
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Low body temperature
Side Effects of Eating Disorders
- Amenorrhea
- Cardiac complications
- Erosion of teeth and gums
- Kidney problems
- Intestinal ulcers
- Constipation
- Deteriorating hair and nail quality
- Insomnia or disruptive sleeping pattern
- Skin rash or dry skin
- Memory loss, distorted cognitions
- Moodiness
- Depression
- Indecisiveness, impaired concentration
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- Electrolyte imbalances
Who Needs Intensive Outpatient Treatment?
- Individuals who have been unresponsive to outpatient care may be successfully treated in our intensive outpatient program without resorting to more costly hospitalization.
- Medically stable individuals who necessitate a higher level of care than traditional outpatient therapy, but do not require residential or inpatient treatment.
- Individuals who need a transition program from inpatient to a more routine lifestyle while continuing treatment.
- Individuals who require intensive treatment without interrupting their academic or career track as well as their quality of life.