If you or someone you love has been struggling with an eating disorder, you have several choices to make. The first choice is the most crucial, and it involves whether to get treatment. And we should begin by saying that you must do so. Strong evidence indicates that people who do not get professional treatment for their eating disorder are at a disadvantage when it comes to relapse and overall health.
The second choice, however, is what kind of program and what kind of facility to choose. If you have been wondering how to choose eating disorder treatment, you should know that you have many options.
How to Choose Eating Disorder Treatment: Residential Programs
When exploring how to choose eating disorder treatment, one of the first questions to ask is whether to choose a residential treatment program or a day program. As the name indicates, a residential treatment facility is a comprehensive program in which the patient lives under the watchful eyes of healthcare professionals. The patient is always close to someone who can help when they need it, and everyone they will encounter has their overall health in mind.
There are several advantages to a program that is structured in this way. Among these are:
Developing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the eating disorder. Outpatient facilities can, for instance, are not designed to treat more severe and developed versions of the condition.
Working through the mental issues that underpin the eating disorder. Eating disorders rarely occur in a vacuum. They are often the result of trauma, or other underlying psychological problems like depression, anxiety, or trauma. A quality residential facility like the program at Crossroads Maine will have staff qualified and prepared to deal with these issues.
How to Choose Eating Disorder Treatment: Intensive Outpatient Programs
The other option when examining how to choose eating disorder treatment is an intensive outpatient or “day” program. In this type of program, a patient visits the program multiple days and works with therapists and counselors around their own schedule. Although they are generally less costly, they may also be less comprehensive, and so are not right for every patient. Some of the benefits of intensive outpatient care include:
A day program allows the patient to continue to go to work or school. This can be important for financial reasons and also for reasons that involve self-esteem, which is a crucial part of the treatment.
A day program also allows the patient whose eating disorder is less severe to integrate more effectively back into their everyday lives.
Reach out to Crossroads Maine Today
There can be other factors to consider when deciding how to choose an eating disorder treatment. The most critical concerns that you should have, for instance, are the overall quality of the programs offered and the comfort level that the patient feels in the program. This said the most basic practical differences involve the styles of treatment outlined above.
If you would like to discover more about residential and day treatment options at Crossroads Maine, do not hesitate. Contact Crossroads Maine online today, or call us at 877.978.1667. It is never to soon to tackle an eating disorder and to take your life back.
