Eating Disorder Treatment in Illinois

Types of Bulimia Treatment in Illinois

While all eating disorders are cause for concern, the conditions themselves vary widely. Some people may struggle for a long time or experience especially severe symptoms, while others may experience milder symptoms.

Several levels of care have been developed to help address this range. In Illinois, all levels of care for eating disorder treatment are available.

Virtual Eating Disorder Treatment

Virtual treatment is a relatively new development in eating disorder care. Still, it’s an increasingly popular form of treatment, allowing patients to access doctors, meetings, and other medical resources through websites, video messaging software, or apps.

This type of treatment benefits those who live far from in-person care facilities, experience challenges around transportation or mobility or have schedules or social obligations that make regular in-person meetings difficult. Still, many people choose online treatment simply because it’s more convenient or cost-effective.

While the treatment is still relatively new, studies have shown it can be as effective as in-person treatment in many cases.²

Inpatient and Residential Treatment

Inpatient care is the most intensive form of eating disorder treatment, with patients staying full-time at a facility to receive 24-hour medical monitoring and care.

The most intensive type of inpatient care is inpatient hospitalization. This involves a patient staying at a hospital-like facility and is generally only recommended in cases where the patient is experiencing acute health risks, self-harm or suicide attempts, worsening symptoms, or other serious medical complications. The overall goal of this level of care is medical stabilization or alleviating any immediate threats to the patient’s life.¹

Residential treatment is a less intensive form of inpatient care, but it is still intended for individuals with severe eating disorder symptoms. Programs are more oriented toward long-term goals, with patients typically staying at least 30 days, so facilities are usually more home-like than clinical.¹

During their stay, a patient may undergo a number of treatments, including individual and group therapy sessions, nutritional counseling, meal monitoring, regular medical check-ins, and other types of care.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) are also intensive forms of care, though they don’t require patients to stay overnight. Instead, patients commute to treatment and live and sleep at home.

Still, the programs can be intense, lasting anywhere from 5 days a week or more up to 10 hours per day.¹ During this time, patients undergo many of the same types of treatment they may receive at a residential facility, including therapy, nutritional counseling, and other courses of action dictated by their individualized treatment plan.

Sometimes called day programs, PHPs are also long-term programs, for the most part, though schedules are generally adjusted as patients continue their recovery journey.

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment is the least intensive form of eating disorder care, so it’s important that patients at this stage have reasonable control over their eating disorder symptoms. Most outpatient programs involve regular meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, or other treatment team member, with occasional medical check-ins or medication adjustments as needed.

For those stepping down from higher levels of care or those who still want or need more support, intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) can also help. This level of care usually involves treatment several days a week, for several hours a day. This is also the point where many patients incorporate family therapy or support groups into their regular care routine.