Research shows adult eating disorder patients have better outcomes in 24/7 treatment
DENVER, Colo.—Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that can have dire outcomes if left untreated. Providers have long understood that placing patients at the right level of eating disorder treatment is critical to paving a successful road to recovery. And now, for the first time, there’s data to prove it thanks to new research by Eating Recovery Center (ERC).
The study, published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of Eating Disorders, followed the progress of 1,104 adults in ERC’s care and concluded that patients at low weight gained significantly more weight faster in 24-hour care at the inpatient or residential level than patients in non-24-hour partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient programs. This indicates that starting treatment at the highest appropriate level of care may result in shorter overall lengths of stay and better long-term outcomes.
"In treating eating disorders, we know that early treatment at the right level of care is essential to obtain successful outcomes,” said ERC Chief of Medical Services Harry A. Brandt, MD. “This is the first study to directly compare these two levels of care and provides objective insight.”
With access to more mental health treatment options than ever, especially with the growth in virtual outpatient care for severe eating disorders after the pandemic, understanding the pros and cons of the variety of treatment options is important. The study notes, “Patients with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, are known to be ambivalent about receiving treatment” and can be reluctant to go into 24/7 care and give up dieting, food avoidance, and illness-related behaviors. Many patients require the enhanced monitoring and treatment intensity of a higher level of care to help them give up these behaviors and allow adequate nourishment and treatment. Inpatient and residential care is provided in a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week facility with intensive individual and group psychological therapies and medical monitoring.
"Our study shows patients often benefit from starting at higher levels of care, especially when weight restoration is needed and where we can focus on the need for change with a slow progression to lower levels of care when medically safe and psychologically ready," said Brandt. “There's good evidence to support that patients who receive early and effective weight restoration have a greater chance of recovery and improved outcomes.”
After inpatient or residential treatment, the continuum of care includes partial hospitalization (full day programs five or seven days per week), intensive outpatient (three hours per day, three days per week, which can be done in person or virtually), and traditional outpatient therapies. Selection of the correct level of care for patients is imperative to successful outcomes.
“This study suggests it is in a patient’s best interest to start at the appropriate level of care with sufficient structure, to achieve the best result in the shortest amount of time and get back to their lives,” said Brandt. “We hope the new data will help patients who might be reluctant but need the structure of 24-hour care, to step forward and be more accepting of the treatment they desperately need.”
To learn more about Eating Recovery Center, visit www.eatingrecoverycenter.com; and to read the published research, visit: https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-024-01150-5
###
ABOUT EATING RECOVERY CENTER
Eating Recovery Center (ERC) is the nation’s leading mental health care system dedicated to the treatment of eating disorders. ERC specializes in treating patient struggling with eating disorders and related conditions including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), unspecified eating disorders and co-occurring conditions (OSFED). Led by the world’s leading experts, ERC provides innovative, evidence-based treatment programs tailored for patients of all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. Working with patients and their families, ERC’s multidisciplinary treatment programs are designed to help illuminate their unique paths forward and provide a foundation for resilience and long-lasting mental wellness. ERC offers inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) levels of care in centers across the country as well as Virtual IOP (video) telebehavioral health services. For more information, please visit eatingrecoverycenter.com.
