Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) are serious mental health conditions that can have negative effects on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Luckily, Maryland has several eating disorder treatment centers that can help you get the care you need. Each center has a team of professionals who specialize in treating people with eating disorders and will tailor their treatment plans to meet your needs.
Types of Eating Disorder Treatment in Maryland
While all eating disorders are cause for concern, the conditions manifest at different levels of severity. To help cater to these differences and the different approaches to medical care they may require, there are several levels of care that can be used for eating disorder treatment.
Virtual Treatment
Online eating disorder treatment is an increasingly popular method of care thanks to its broad reach and convenience.
People utilizing this type of treatment can access their treatment team and plans through websites, apps, and over the phone. Online care has been adapted to fit several levels of care, including intensive outpatient treatment and day programs.
Overall, the idea makes it much easier for those who live far from in-person treatment facilities, those with challenges around transportation or mobility, and those with unpredictable schedules or many social responsibilities to find appropriate care. Studies have already shown that virtual eating disorder treatment can be just as effective as in-person care in many cases.2
Who Offers Virtual Care in Maryland?
One of the best things about online treatment is that the facility doesn’t necessarily have to be based in-state.
Within Health has emerged as a premier online program for patients in Maryland and beyond. Treatment teams are composed of medical experts from many different fields to help ensure a patient’s mental, physical, and psychological needs are met, and tailor-made treatment plans ensure each patient’s specific history and treatment goals are considered.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient treatment is the most intensive type of eating disorder care, when patients stay and sleep at a facility to receive 24-hour access to medical care and monitoring.
Inpatient hospitalization is reserved for the most extreme cases when someone is experiencing a mental or physical health crisis, such as compromised vital signs, suicidal ideation, or other immediate threats to their life.1 This type of treatment aims to help a patient reach medical stabilization, with most inpatient hospitalization regimens only lasting a few weeks.
Residential care is a longer-term form of inpatient care. In these types of eating disorder treatment programs, patients live and sleep at a home-like facility, where they follow daily schedules that can include everything from individual and group therapy to nutritional counseling, meal monitoring, medical check-ins, and even some recreational activities, depending on the program.
These stays can last as long as months, typically lasting at least 30 days.1 Due to their intensive nature, they’re mostly recommended for patients who are medically stable but still need a lot of help and support to recognize and work through their eating disorder symptoms and causes.
Who Offers Inpatient Care in Maryland?
The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders specializes in treating all forms of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. The center offers inpatient treatment at its facility in Bethesda, MD.
Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs)
Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) are another good option for those in the earlier phases of the recovery process. Sometimes called a day program, this type of treatment allows patients to live and sleep at home, but it’s still intensive, lasting anywhere from five days a week up to ten hours per day, or sometimes more.1
Day programs offer most of the same treatment options as a residential eating disorder treatment center, and sometimes, patients who qualify for residential care are recommended to PHPs instead due to cost, availability, or other reasons.1
Like residential treatment, PHPs also focus on long-term care goals and can last several months, though as patients progress through recovery, their schedules are often adjusted accordingly.
Who Offers PHPs in Maryland?
The Eating Recovery Center is a well-established eating disorder treatment program with several levels of care available, including partial hospitalization. The group has several locations in Maryland, including in Baltimore.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment is the least intensive form of care for eating disorders and other mental health conditions. Patients generally keep a regular appointment with a therapist and may see a doctor, psychiatrist, or another specialist periodically to check in on general health or make medication adjustments.
Because people at this level of care spend so much time away from treatment, they must have a good amount of control over their eating disorder symptoms.
Still, those needing more support can also utilize intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). These forms of care involve several days of treatment per week, for several hours at a time. The hybrid schedule makes IOPs a good option for someone ready to incorporate social responsibilities into their recovery routine.
Who Offers Outpatient Treatment in Maryland?
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, Alsana can help. They offer outpatient and PHP programs with extensive resources, including medical professionals who can assist you in your recovery.
What to Look for in a Maryland Eating Disorder Treatment Center
Eating disorder recovery can be stressful enough. But choosing the best place to get treatment doesn’t have to be.
Keeping specific considerations in mind can help ensure you make the best choice for yourself or your loved one.
When seeking treatment for BN, AN, BED, or other eating disorders, ask about accreditation from the Joint Commission or CARF International. These certifications mean the program has been examined by industry experts and found up to or above industry standards.
You should also ask whether the facility is licensed to offer treatment services for eating disorders.
Eating disorder treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The eating disorder treatment you receive will depend on your needs, the severity of your eating disorder, and other factors.
Treatment for eating disorders can include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Group therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Family therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
These types of therapy are also considered evidence-based. This can make a crucial difference in whether or not insurance will cover the course of treatment, so keep that in mind.
Insurance and cost are generally some of the biggest concerns people have about choosing an eating disorder treatment center.
Insurance coverage varies significantly from company to company and plan to plan, so you should contact a representative from your insurance company to ask about any treatment centers you may be interested in or to see if they can recommend doctors, programs, or treatments they may be more likely to cover.
Many treatment programs also offer some form of financial aid. If you’ve found a treatment program you like, you can always call and ask them about this option.
Additional Questions
Asking the right questions—of yourself or your would-be treatment provider—can help clarify what the experience will be like and help you better understand your own priorities or goals around treatment.
Some good questions to start with include:3
- Who will be involved in the care of this patient, and who will coordinate their treatment?
- What kind of treatment approach does the center use? Is there any spiritual component to it?
- How long has the center been open?
- What do family members have to do during their loved one’s treatment?
- How many patients do you see each day? How many staff members work at the center? How long have they been working there?
- Do you treat co-occurring mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety disorders, as well?
Finding Help for an Eating Disorder in Maryland
Having the courage to look for help with an eating disorder is monumental. But knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.
Your therapist, primary care physician, or another trusted medical professional can be a great place to start. They may be able to write you an official diagnosis or recommend you to one of the above programs based on your specific needs.
Some eating disorder hotlines can also help. These services are typically free and run anonymously, allowing callers to ask sensitive questions more comfortably while providing answers, information, and additional resources.
But regardless of where you start, it’s the looking in itself that’s the best first step. Often, it ultimately leads to a healthier and happier future.
Resources
- Levels of Care. (n.d.). University of California San Diego. Accessed December 2023.
- Steiger H, Booij L, Crescenzi O, Oliverio S, Singer I, Thaler L, St-Hilaire A, Israel M. (2022). In-person versus virtual therapy in outpatient eating-disorder treatment: A COVID-19 inspired study. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(1), 145–150.
- Questions to Ask Treatment Providers. (n.d.). National Eating Disorders Association. Accessed December 2023.