Why You Should Seek Eating Disorder Treatment this Fall
Guest Blog Post By Center For Discovery
Thinking about postponing eating disorder treatment until after the holidays? There is no single best time of year to seek treatment for an eating disorder, and ideally, the best time is as soon as possible and from a trusted eating disorder treatment center.
If you are considering eating disorder treatment this fall, here are six reasons not to delay it.
1. Boost Chances of a Successful Outcome
Without prompt intervention for an eating disorder, destructive behaviors are more likely to become ingrained and resistant to treatment. Seeking help immediately this fall, rather than delaying treatment is recommended as a means of boosting odds for successful treatment. Seeking help can reduce eating disorder symptoms, improve the speed of recovery and increase the chances that the eating disorder will not resurface after treatment has ended.
2. Use Insurance Benefits
Majority of insurance deductibles reset on the first of each year. For this reason, many people seek treatment in December to use their benefits before they reset. Your treatment options might be more limited if you wait until December to seek treatment, as hospital beds are more likely to be full if you are seeking residential treatment, and your provider options could be more limited.
3. Start the School Year Strong
Many programs, such as Center for Discovery, provide academic liaisons in the fall. These liaisons are trained to work with your child's school, with the goal being to ensure that your child can continue their studies in a supportive residential treatment facility.
4. Develop Holiday Coping Strategies
Eating disorders can be highly resistant to treatment and can be difficult to manage. With the holidays approaching, it is important to get ahead of some of the food-related challenges that will surface during the holidays. By seeking professional medical treatment in the fall, children with bulimia and binge eating disorder will be better able to handle the endless array of side dishes during Christmas dinner and the endless supply of food and drinks at holiday parties. Children with anorexia, on the other hand, can learn how to respond to comments about their eating habits and people monitoring their food consumption.
5. Reduce Missed School Days
Schools across the United States recognize Thanksgiving and give children two or more days off from school. Others receive a week off school for fall break. By moving forward with treatment in the fall, children will miss fewer days of school than they would at another time of year.
6. Avoid Health Consequences from an Eating Disorder
Delaying treatment for a child with an eating disorder can cause life-altering consequences such as:
Amenorrhea, or the absence of periods in females
Stunted growth and physical development in young children
Lack of sexual interest or potency in older male children
The best way to avoid these consequences is to move forward with treatment in the fall instead of delaying care. An immediate intervention can often be the difference between a complicated recovery and a successful treatment outcome.
Worried About Eating Disorders?
Concerned that you are a parent of a child with an eating disorder or are worried that you may have an eating disorder yourself, it is important to seek help from an experienced professional. Take a free eating disorder evaluation and complete our contact us form today from Center for Discovery. By taking this evaluation and requesting care, you are taking the first and most important step on the path to recovery.
Find out more about Center for Discovery on their website here.