Intensive Outpatient Treatment for Bulimia and Other Eating Disorders

In general, mental health treatment can be delivered through:

• Inpatient treatment programs
• Partial hospitalization programs
• Outpatient programs

Intensive outpatient treatment for eating disorders is essentially a hybrid level of care, involving more support than regular outpatient programs but less than a partial hospitalization program.

What is Intensive Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment?

Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) are treatment programs for eating disorders and other mental health conditions. They are usually recommended as a type of “bridge” program to help patients step down from more intensive forms of care, but they may be suitable for patients at other points in the recovery journey.

As the name suggests, IOPs are a type of outpatient treatment. Patients live and sleep at home while commuting to treatment, which is why they’re sometimes also called “day treatment” programs. The “intensive” aspect means these programs are usually more involved than standard outpatient care.

The idea behind an IOP is to give patients the space to start incorporating work, school, or other social obligations back into their schedule while continuing to offer robust support for ongoing recovery. Some patients may also start on this level if their symptoms aren’t quite under control enough to keep making progress in standard outpatient therapy.

How Does IOP for Eating Disorders Work?

The specifics of an intensive outpatient program will depend on a patient’s individual progress and medical history, but the program structure usually follows the same general format.

IOPs usually consist of three treatment sessions per week.¹ These sessions may last for several hours each and may involve several different types of treatment, including:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy sessions

An IOP for eating disorders may involve additional types of care like provided meals or meal support and nutrition education sessions.¹

Patients usually work with a treatment team, which can include a therapist, psychiatrist, nutritionist, and other doctors, nurses, and specialists. Together with the patient, the treatment team assesses progress and determines when the patient is ready to move on to a different level of care. If patients are stepping down from more intensive programs, they’ll likely keep their same treatment team.

Who is Intensive Outpatient Treatment Best For?

Intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment usually works best for patients at certain points in their recovery journey.

Since IOP treatment involves letting patients live at home and presumably make many food-related choices on their own, patients must have relatively good control over their eating disorder symptoms at this point. If a patient finds they’re struggling to follow their meal plan or are experiencing other eating disorder symptoms on a regular basis, a higher level of care may be more appropriate.

Intensive outpatient treatment is also a good step for patients who have undergone more intensive care, such as a partial hospitalization program, and are ready to begin reintegrating more social responsibilities into their lives.

If a patient starts out in standard outpatient therapy but finds they’re still struggling with disordered thoughts or behaviors, they may also find better support through an IOP.

Intensive Outpatient Programs Vs. Other Levels of Care

Intensive outpatient treatment is unique among the levels of care. At this point, patients are balancing growing responsibilities and autonomy with ongoing support.

This is different from standard outpatient care, where patients are generally expected to be able to perform most or all of their daily duties with minimal support. At this point, therapy sessions are usually scheduled once a week and used as a way to keep practicing new coping mechanisms, stay wary of potential triggers, and generally stay committed to recovery.

On the other side, IOPs don’t offer as much support as partial hospitalization programs (PHPs). This level of care is more intensive, generally involving sessions up to six days per week for as long as 10 hours per day.² If someone isn’t making progress in an IOP, they may step up to a PHP. Thankfully, in these cases, stepping up to this level of care does have a high success rate for patients.³

Benefits of IOP Eating Disorder Treatment

For patients who are at the right point in their recovery journey, an IOP for eating disorders can offer a number of benefits.

The hybrid format of the program leaves enough room for patients to resume work, school, and other social obligations, which can encourage further progress and healing. Being trusted to make more personal choices and have more autonomy can also be a helpful boost for many people in recovery.

In many cases, IOPs are when family-based treatment is introduced, bringing family members into the recovery effort. This type of family involvement can also be helpful for greater healing, especially if therapy involves teaching family members how to create a home environment that encourages recovery.

Still, an IOP program may not be the best choice for patients who are still frequently struggling with disordered thoughts or behaviors or who have additional medical complications related to their eating disorder.

Finding the Best Intensive Outpatient Program For You

Eating disorders create an enormous amount of mental, physical, and emotional stress, and researching different treatment programs is often the last thing people dealing with those stressors want to do. However, finding appropriate care for eating disorders is essential for full recovery.

A good way to get started is by speaking with your therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor. These experts often know about nearby reputable programs and can help get you in touch with treatment center staff.

You can also start by calling your health insurance company and asking about different in-network programs. This method can also be beneficial in the long run, helping you avoid surprise bills or situations where treatment isn’t covered.

It may feel stressful or overwhelming to take all of this into account while also dealing with an eating disorder, but asking the right questions can help ensure you’re on the same page with your treatment center and treatment team, which can make a significant and positive change in the recovery process. As with eating disorder recovery itself, the process is best taken one step at a time, knowing that each step taken is bringing you closer to peace and healing.