Living With Food: The Science Supporting Eating Disorder Treatment

Take a look at this article by Dr. Sarah Ravin on the necessity of hope in treatment and how treatment centers and providers influence hope while clients work towards recovery.

Got Hope?

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this post please email blog@eatingdisorderscleveland.org.

Note to everyone who's ever had an eating disorder: We are ALL supposed to enjoy living.-Aimee Liu

Check out this article by Aimee Liu published in the Huffington Post on moving towards full recovery:

Moving From an Eating Disorders Half-life to Your Full Life

To support the Eating Disorder Network and hear Aimee Liu in person, please join us on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Dolan Center at John Carroll. For more information and to sign up for this event please click here or email SEmerman@eatingdisorderscleveland.org.

By Dr. Mark Warren and clients at CCED

Recovery from an eating disorder is the clear goal of treatment, however, the scientific literature on patients' experience of recovery is often defined in different ways. In general, the literature tends to focus on re-feeding, growth curves, medical stability, and resolution of behaviors. At CCED we fully endorse that these are the first steps towards recovery and without them no discussion of recovery can take place. That being said, recovery from an eating disorder can have various meanings for those who suffer from these illnesses. In general, there are psychological, social, and identity issues that also change when someone describes themself as being in recovery. We feel it is important to talk to our clients and their families to gain understanding of what recovery means to them. With this in mind we recently had a conversation with clients at CCED about this issue. We asked them to answer the question “How do i know if I am in recovery?” Please find their responses below:

I know I’m recovering if I...

Am able to go out and get what I want

Do not count calories

Feel hunger cues and am not anxious when hungry

Eat when I’m hungry

Have a whole day without thinking about the eating disorder

Go to sleep without worrying about what I have to eat tomorrow

Engage in a cause bigger than myself

Listen to my body’s needs and functions

Give up fear about talking about the eating disorder

Am known to others and have them aware of who I am

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this post please email blog@eatingdisorderscleveland.org

Contributions by Sarah Emerman

By, Dr. Mark Warren

An interesting article from the Journal of Adolescent Health was recently profiled in the New York Times. This article challenges traditional methodologies for in-patient re-feeding of teenagers with anorexia nervosa. Historically, the protocol for teens hospitalized for anorexia has been to “start low and go slow” with food. However, this often results in much slower weight gain or even lack of weight gain during the first week of hospitalization and may result in a teen being discharged from the hospital at a significantly lower weight than they would have been if they had been re-fed more aggressively. As we know from other literature, not reaching prior growth curves is thought to be the single greatest factor in relapse for anorexia and hospitalization is often utilized to jump start this vital and necessary weight gain.

While there are still many questions to be answered about the best methodology of feeding individuals in the hospital, the article underlines the basic principles of treatment of eating disorders in adolescents, in particular, those found in Family Based Therapy. Specifically, re-feeding and the cessation of eating disorder behaviors is the most important part of the first phase of treatment. Only after these have been accomplished should other issues involving the eating disorder move to the forefront.

To access this important article please click here.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this post please email blog@eatingdisorderscleveland.org.

Contributions by Sarah Emerman

By Dr. Mark Warren and Sarah Emerman

We’ve had a very busy year in 2011 and want to thank all of our blog readers for your support and interest. As the year comes to a close we hope this post finds everyone in good health and moving to new places of healing.

At CCED we know that as new research emerges we must constantly change and evolve to provide the most up to date evidence based care. In the spirit of constant improvement we have made several additions to our programming in the last few months.

As readers of this blog are aware, we are strong advocates and providers of Family Based Therapy (FBT). The literature supports a recovery rate in the 60-80% range and we continue work towards moving those numbers closer to 100%. We’ve started a program targeting those with co-morbid eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions including depression, self harm, and suicidally by utilizing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in conjunction with family involvement. We hope to have more outcome data and research findings for this program in the upcoming year.

Our adult DBT program continues to grow as we have added a day treatment program (DTP) in addition to the intensive outpatient program (IOP). The program compliments our existing DBT IOP and provides a second option for clients who may benefit from intensive DBT.

Our group options for adults have also expanded. In addition to our traditional skills group we now offer a skills group focused on building a Life Worth Living for patients who are in therapy elsewhere, or who do not have a DBT therapist.  

We are also starting a Body Image Group for clients aged 17 and older on Monday January 16th. The group will be a 10 session closed group focusing on decreasing body dissatisfaction.

For more information about any of the programs that we offer please contact (216) 765-0500 or Contact Us.

In addition to new programming, we have several new staff this year. New to CCED we have Dani Goldstein, PC, Sarah Altman, PhD Post-doctoral trainee, Jill Matusek, PhD Post-doctoral trainee and Jean Doak, PhD. CCED also wants to congratulate Dean Malec and Stephanie Kinch on graduating from their masters programs!

Finally, we’ve recently expanded our space by adding a third kitchen and dining room, along with a separate wing for adolescent treatment. With our new configuration each of our separate tracks have their own space in which to develop programming.  

As we enter 2012 we are excited about growth and the knowledge in the field of eating disorders, the health and well-being of patients and families, and with tremendous hope that all those affected by eating disorders will have a good and healthy new year.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this post please email blog@eatingdisorderscleveland.org