SERVICES | EATING DISORDERS |

What Is An Eating Disorder

An eating disorder is distinguished by extremes and patterns. When a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as a noticeable reduction of food intake, overeating, or feelings of extreme concern about body weight or shape. An eating disorder may start out by eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or act out on unhealthy behaviors becomes greater. This results in addictive behaviors and rituals.

How We Can Help

Statistics show that over 50% of female clients with chemical dependency issues, also have a history of an eating disorder. With that in mind, we wanted to make sure we could accommodate the needs of females within our community. Ashwood Recovery offers support for individuals with eating disorders and alcoholism or other addictive disorders, co-occurring. Due to the medical severity of eating disorders,we cannot take individuals who are actively anorexic or bulimic and still acting out, unless they are under the care of a doctor specializing in eating disorders, a dietitian, and have been deemed healthy enough to be treated on an outpatient basis. If you are not sure if you or your loved one are appropriate for this level of care, we do provide screenings and referrals to appropriate in-patient programs if needed.

Program Requirements: Clients appropriate for care at Ashwood ideally have a co-occuring addictive disorder or history of alcoholism. We ask that any client with a history of eating disorders have a primary doctor who is aware of the eating disorder and monitoring stability through blood work. Since we are not a primary, hospital based facility, we ask clients be at a stable BMI. If a client is not at a stable BMI, Ashwood will screen and refer the client to a primary, inpatient facility, appropriate for medical stabilization.

 

Our Philosophy on Eating Disorders

Within the treatment field there are some varied opinions on eating disorders. Our view is that specific eating disorders such as overeating, exercise addictions and bulimia, overlap with addictive disorders in the way of dopamine release. The sufferer can learn to manipulate addictive amounts of endorphins through behaviors, without the use of substances. While issues of body image, self-esteem and interpersonal conflicts exacerbate these disorders, they are not the root cause of these disorders. We believe that a person who suffers from one of these disorders must always be mindful and is always in recovery. It is for this reason we recommend 12-step based recovery when applicable.

 

Unfortunately Idaho lacks certain resources such as Eating Disorders Anonymous. There are some other 12-step based options available depending on the clients specific history.

 

More About Eating Disorders

Eating disorders frequently appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but some reports indicate that they can develop during childhood or later in adulthood. Women and girls are more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. However, we are learning that these disorders effect the male population differently and due to this new insight, we are finding the male numbers increasing.

Eating disorders often coexist with other disorders such as depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders. People with eating disorders also can suffer from numerous other physical health complications, such as heart conditions or kidney failure, which can lead to death.