We help treat eating disorders
Eating disorders come in many forms. The ones we treat include:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
- Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)*
OSFED*: When a patient has an eating disorder that does not meet the criteria for anorexia, bulimia, ARFID or binge eating disorder (episodes of eating significantly more food in a short period of time than most people would eat under similar circumstances), they might be diagnosed with OSFED. This could include:
- Atypical anorexia nervosa (features of anorexia, without low weight)
- Subthreshold bulimia nervosa (bulimia at a low frequency or short duration)
- Purging disorder (when an individual purges but doesn’t binge)
Evidence based treatments for eating disorders
At Children’s Minnesota, we use eating disorder treatments that are supported by medical studies. Treatment sessions may focus on discussing eating habits, relationships with others (such as interactions via social media), perfectionism, low self-esteem and developing healthy coping skills. Here is more information on our treatments:
Family-based treatment (FBT)
FBT is the leading treatment for eating disorders in children and adolescents. It’s also called the Maudsley Approach. This treatment has also been adapted for use in bulimia nervosa and ARFID. In FBT, parents are seen as the best resource for their child’s recovery and play an active and positive role in order to help their child to:
- Return to a healthy weight and growth pattern
- Resume healthy eating
- Resume age-appropriate independence with eating
- Return to healthy physical and psychological development
Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E)
CBT-E is the leading evidence-based treatment for all eating disorder diagnoses in adults, and has been adapted for use with adolescents. It is designed to produce changes in thinking (cognitive change), it and focuses on what is keeping the eating problem going. The therapy is tailored to a specific eating problem. The patient and the therapist will become experts in the eating problem and what is keeping it going, and will work as a team to help overcome the eating problem. The patient will be given tasks to complete between therapy sessions to assist in making changes. Depending on a person’s needs, the patient and the therapist may work on:
- Decreasing overevaluation of shape and weight
- Challenging dietary rules and undereating
- Helping the patient regain weight
- Coping with mood-related changes in eating
- Improving low self-esteem
- Addressing perfectionism that drives the eating disorder
- Interpersonal problems
Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP)
UP is an individual treatment developed to treat anxiety and mood disorders. The UP uses principles and strategies that come from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and from theories of emotion regulation. These symptoms can include those that often accompany other mental health diagnoses, such as generalized anxiety, specific phobias, panic disorders, and obsessive compulsive-disorder. Therapy is personalized to meet individual needs, and may include several of the following goals and strategies:
- Awareness and interpretation of emotional experiences
- Identification and prevention of problematic behaviors that are driven by emotions
- Identification and interpretation of physical sensations in an accurate and adaptive way
- Exposure to thoughts or situations that trigger emotional responses
The method that’s best for you
We see many of our patients in our outpatient clinic, but if you or your child needs medical care for an eating disorder, we may recommend a stay in our inpatient hospital program at Children’s Minnesota – St. Paul.
During a hospital stay, we will help you or your child medically stabilize and prepare for outpatient treatment. We’ll also teach you and your family strategies to make positive changes at home.
As an organization dedicated to family-centered care, we offer many child and family resources.
