Exploring Intensive Outpatient Treatment Options for Eating Disorders

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Understanding the function of outpatient eating disorder treatment and for whom it is appropriate can help heathcare professionals ease patients into the appropriate level of care and find the best integral step towards lasting recovery.

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Exploring
 Intensive
 Outpatient
 Treatment
 Options
 
For
 patients
 struggling
 with
 an
 eating
 disorder,
 realizing
 that
 they
 no
 longer
 have
 control
 over
 their
  thoughts,
 behaviors
 and
 general
 health
 can
 be
 difficult.
 Perhaps
 more
 difficult
 yet,
 however,
 can
 be
 the
  exploration
 of
 eating
 disorder
 treatment
 at
 an
 intensive
 level
 of
 care,
 as
 it
 requires
 
 some
 degree
 of
  disruption
 in
 one's
 daily
 life
 and
 routine.
 
  Karen
 Trevithick,
 PsyD,
 Eating
 Recovery
 Center’s
 Clinical
 Director
 of
 Outpatient
 Services,
 often
 observes
  this
 conflict
 among
 individuals
 considering
 a
 higher
 level
 of
 care,
 and
 she
 acknowledges
 the
 difficult
 task
  of
 the
 professional
 working
 with
 this
 eating
 disordered
 patient.
 
  “Professionals
 must
 manage
 the
 competing
 tensions
 between
 their
 patient’s
 awareness
 that
 his
 or
 her
  illness
 interferes
 with
 daily
 life
 and
 their
 fear
 that
 treatment
 might
 disrupt
 their
 personal,
 professional
  and
 social
 lives,”
 explains
 Dr.
 Trevithick.
 “Understanding
 the
 function
 of
 outpatient
 treatment
 for
 eating
  disorders
 and
 for
 whom
 it
 is
 appropriate
 can
 help
 healthcare
 professionals
 ease
 patients
 into
 this
 higher
  level
 of
 care,
 which
 often
 represents
 an
 integral
 step
 toward
 lasting
 recovery.”
  Outpatient
 programs
 offer
 comprehensive
 eating
 disorders
 treatment
 options
 with
 the
 goal
 of
 teaching
  the
 skills
 necessary
 for
 sustainable
 recovery.
 Administered
 in
 a
 flexible
 setting
 by
 a
 team
 of
 psychiatrists,
  registered
 dieticians,
 family
 therapists
 and
 individual
 therapists,
 an
 increasingly
 common
 delivery
 of
  outpatient
 treatment
 is
 the
 Evening
 Intensive
 Outpatient
 Program
 (EIOP).
 EIOP
 involves
 a
 few
 hours
 of
  intensive
 outpatient
 programming
 three
 evenings
 per
 week
 and
 allows
 patients
 to
 work,
 go
 to
 schoolor
  care
 for
 children
 during
 the
 day
 and
 sleep
 at
 home
 at
 night,
 and
 can
 be
 a
 meaningful
 next
 step
 in
 a
  patient’s
 treatment
 continuum
 or
 a
 valuable
 adjunct
 to
 individual
 therapy.
  While
 all
 patient
 cases
 are
 unique
 and
 require
 individual
 consideration
 within
 the
 context
 of
 general
  evaluative
 criteria,
 candidates
 for
 EIOP
 treatment
 are
 generally
 characterized
 as:
  • Having
 healthy
 systems
 of
 support,
 including
 supportive
 friends,
 family
 and/or
 colleagues;
  • Not
 being
 medically
 compromised
 by
 their
 eating
 disorder;
 and
  • Not
 exhibiting
 overwhelming
 symptoms
 of
 depression
 or
 anxiety.
 
 
  Furthermore,
 EIOP
 is
 particularly
 effective
 in
 helping
 patients
 confront
 common
 “triggers”
 for
 harmful
  thoughts
 or
 behaviors
 related
 to
 their
 eating
 disorder,
 including:
 
  • Challenging
 and
 confronting
 daily
 patterns—EIOP
 provides
 a
 safe,
 supportive
 environment
 for
  patients
 to
 address
 behaviors
 and
 feelings
 relating
 to
 destructive
 daily
 patterns—including
  struggles
 with
 disordered
 eating
 patterns,
 complete
 weight
 restoration
 or
 fully
 connecting
 with
  relationships
 and
 experience—which
 is
 critical
 to
 lasting
 recovery.
 
  • Addressing
 stressors
 or
 crises
 when
 they
 arise—Stressors
 or
 crises
 in
 a
 patient’s
 life
 have
 the
  potential
 to
 derail
 recovery.
 EIOP
 can
 provide
 the
 structure
 and
 support
 necessary
 to
 help
  patients
 confront
 and
 manage
 these
 unanticipated
 challenges
 that
 emerge
 on
 the
 path
 to
  lasting
 recovery.
 

Stepping
 down
 from
 a
 higher
 level
 of
 care—EIOP
 can
 help
 to
 foster
 a
 positive
 transition
 into
  activities
 of
 daily
 living
 for
 adults
 returning
 from
 facilities
 providing
 a
 higher
 level
 of
 care,
  including
 intensive
 inpatient
 and
 partial
 hospitalization
 programs.
 
  “Because
 EIOP
 is
 a
 group-­‐
 and
 skills-­‐based
 program,
 it
 offers
 an
 excellent
 treatment
 option
 for
 men
 and
  women
 who
 would
 benefit
 from
 intensive
 recovery
 services
 while
 remaining
 engaged
 in
 their
 daily
  lives,”
 says
 Dr.
 Trevithick,
 who
 encourages
 professionals
 exploring
 treatment
 options
 with
 patients
 to
  start
 a
 dialogue
 about
 the
 role
 the
 eating
 disorder
 has
 played
 in
 his
 or
 her
 life.
 “By
 identifying
 data
 that
  shows
 how
 disruptive
 an
 eating
 disorder
 has
 become
 and
 taking
 a
 firm
 yet
 compassionate
 stance,
 you
  can
 help
 ease
 an
 individual
 into
 the
 recovery
 process,
 enabling
 patients
 to
 truly
 feel
 successful
 in
 their
  lives
 again
 –
 or
 to
 honestly
 feel
 success
 for
 the
 first
 time.”
  •
 

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