Eating Disorder Treatment for Teens, Children, and Young Adults
Eating disorders can be physically and emotionally devastating. Symptoms such as extreme weight loss, changes in appearance, and physical exhaustion are dangerous for young people and frightening for parents.
Newport Academy’s specialized eating disorder programming for children, teens, and young adults addresses immediate nutritional needs while treating primary mental health issues, such as trauma, anxiety, or depression.
Our whole-person approach ensures that each client’s medical, dietary, psychological, relational, and academic needs are taken into account.
The Link Between Eating Disorders and Mental Health
Eating disorders and disordered eating patterns go hand-in-hand with mental health struggles. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health, more than half (56.2 percent) of respondents with anorexia, 95 percent with bulimia, and 79 percent with binge eating disorder met criteria for another mental health condition, such as an anxiety or a mood disorder.
That’s why Newport Healthcare’s treatment for eating disorders includes both clinical and dietary support. We help young people find a more relaxed relationship with food and body image, while addressing co-occurring mental health disorders, like anxiety, depression, trauma, and other conditions.
We offer eating disorder–specific residential programs in Connecticut for teen girls and boys, and one in California for young adult women. Our outpatient program in Pennsylvania also offers a specialized track for disordered eating and body image issues.
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders in Teens, Kids, and Young Adults
Signs of eating disorders or disordered eating in young people can manifest in various ways, including the way they act, how they look, and what they’re feeling inside.
Behavioral Signs of Eating Disorders
- Making excuses to avoid eating
- Excessive exercising
- Secretly storing food or eating alone
- Compulsive use of laxatives or diet pills
- An intense, obsessive focus on calories and caloric intake
- An unwillingness to discuss weight gains or weight losses
- Resistance to social situations involving eating
- Extended bathroom use during or right after meals
Physical Symptoms of Eating Disorders
- Sudden or extreme loss or gain of weight
- Repeated weight cycling, going up and down within a short period of time
- Constipation or vomiting
- Skin rashes or dry skin
- Erosion of tooth enamel; dental cavities
- Loss of hair and/or poor nail health
- Obvious signs of exhaustion, insomnia
- Irregular menstruation or absence of menstruation
- Easily bruised; more prone to physical injury
- Cold sensitivity
Psychological Eating Disorder Symptoms
- Feeling distressed or ashamed about eating
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Obsession with one’s appearance and others’ perceptions
- Distorted body image; body dysmorphia (obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance)
- Expressing guilt about eating
- Intense mood swings
- Panic attacks
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
What Causes Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are caused by a combination of psychological, genetic, biological, and social factors.
Mental health issues
Eating disorders are most often diagnosed in conjunction with depression, trauma, or anxiety.
Life changes
Puberty can lead to body image issues and disordered eating in children and teens. For young adults, going away to college or living alone can lead to unhealthy eating habits.
Social comparison
Teens and young adults constantly see idealized images of thin bodies on social media, in magazines, and on TV. This can trigger disordered eating or a full-blown eating disorder.
Genetics
Heredity plays a role in eating disorders. Studies of twins reveal that genetic factors account for 40 to 50 percent of eating disorder risk factors.
Brain function
There is a connection between eating disorders and brain functioning. Imaging studies have linked eating disorders to irregular brain activity patterns.
Types of Eating Disorders
Here are some of the most common types of eating disorders.
Take a Quiz
If you’re experiencing symptoms of eating disorders, or observing symptoms in a loved one, take our quiz and get recommendations and next steps.
What Is a Secondary Eating Disorder?
A secondary eating disorder is an eating disorder that develops as a result of another primary condition, such as a medical illness, mental health disorder, or substance use issue.
For example, someone struggling with depression or anxiety may use food as a way to cope with their emotional distress, leading to impulsive eating behaviors, such as binge eating.
To create long-term sustainable healing, treatment should address both the underlying mental health issues and the eating disorder behaviors.
Do Males Struggle with Eating Disorders?
Yes, young people of any gender can suffer from an eating disorder. While eating disorders used to be more prevalent among girls, the number of boys with these issues is increasing. For example, 25 percent of children with teen anorexia are boys.
Moreover, 33 percent of teen boys admit to using unhealthy methods to control their weight—like smoking cigarettes, doing illegal drugs to curb their appetite, skipping meals, and misusing laxatives or diet pills.
Teen boys and young men also struggle with what’s known as bigorexia. Males with bigorexia, also known as muscle dysmorphia, believe that they are small and skinny, despite being typically or even unusually muscular. They compulsively work out and control their diet to increase their muscularity.
How to Find Out If You or a Loved One Has an Eating Disorder
The first step in treating eating issues is getting a diagnosis. A medical care provider will typically conduct the following exams and tests to inform a comprehensive diagnosis:
Physical Exam
The doctor may do a physical exam to check skin, eyes, and other organs that may be affected by nutritional imbalances.
Lab Tests
A doctor may conduct various lab tests to check whether disordered eating patterns are impacting their general health.
Psychological Evaluation
A doctor or mental health professional will inquire about the patient’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior, or give them a questionnaire to fill out.
Healing is closer than you think
Our Eating Disorder Treatment Centers for Youth and Young Adults
Newport Healthcare’s eating disorder treatment programs support clients to heal underlying mental health issues that are triggering disordered eating and body image issues. Our team of therapists, dietitians, nurses, and psychiatrists help young people change their relationship with food and their body.
Newport’s approach to adolescent and young adult eating disorder treatment supports every aspect of each client’s well-being. Clients receive medical and psychiatric care; individual, group, and family therapy using multiple therapeutic modalities; and academic/life skills programming.
A whole-person approach to healing
What Our Treatment for Eating Disorders Includes
Psychiatric and Clinical Care
- Psychiatric care, medication recommendations, and ongoing medication management
- Initial dietary screening, followed by ongoing individual check-ins and groups with board-registered dietitians
- Body image groups and eating disorder–specific homework, using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and
DBT-Informed skills - Dietary plans and relapse prevention plans to take home, so clients can maintain and build on gains made in treatment
- Attachment-Based Family Therapy to strengthen family connection
- EMDR to heal from underlying trauma that may be contributing to eating disorders
Experiential
Modalities
- Mindfulness and meditation to help balance the nervous system, including yoga and reflection exercises
- Creative art therapies, including music therapy and art therapy, to enhance self-expression and process trauma related to eating disorders and co-occurring mental health issues
- Adventure therapy to empower young people to handle challenges and master new skills
- Community service, as doing good for others is proven to increase life satisfaction and well-being
Academic, Career, and Life Skills Support
- Accredited academic component for teens, and assistance with college applications and admission
- Support with career planning, resume building, and planning next steps
- Life skills training, including daily skills for independent living
- Executive functioning support, to enhance emotional regulation, organization skills, and self-awareness
The Importance of Early Intervention for Eating Disorders in Young People
Given the dangers of eating disorders, early intervention is crucial. If not addressed, eating disorders can lead to permanent mental and physical health consequences and even death.
Even when not visually apparent, an eating disorder can be life threatening and requires immediate action. It cannot be ignored as a passing phase. In most cases, the longer an eating disorder continues, the more dangerous it becomes.
Are you or a loved one struggling with eating disorders?
Get in touch today to schedule a complimentary call with one of our admissions experts and explore next steps.
Our Team of Experts
The foundation of our treatment is our team of exceptional psychiatrists, nurses, medical doctors, registered dietitians, and clinical therapists.
All on-site staff at our specialized eating disorder programs, from our medical doctors and clinicians to our culinary teams and academic instructors, are trained in eating disorder awareness and Health at Every Size® principles.
From Our
National Director of Eating Disorder Programs
Newport is uniquely positioned to support clients with mental health challenges and eating disorders or disordered eating. Our primary mental health focus allows our clinicians to do the deeper trauma work while providing nutrition education and support, which is the critical component for so many of our clients and families.
Kara
Becker
,
LMFT, CEDS
Where to Find Our Eating Disorder Treatment Centers
Newport’s residential treatment centers offer serene environments, within beautiful natural settings, where young people can find long-term healing and recovery from eating disorders and co-occurring mental health issues. Our outpatient programs are located in major metropolitan areas, with easy access for clients and families.
Newport Healthcare offers a specialized eating disorder program for teen boys and one for teen girls in Connecticut, and a program for young women in Southern California. Our outpatient program in Pennsylvania also offers a specialized track for disordered eating and body image issues.
Our specialized secondary eating disorder programs support clients who:
- Are medically stable and free from acute medical complications
- Don’t require a highly structured, individualized meal plan
- Can safely participate in movement-based group and adventure therapy
At our other locations—in Northern California, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, and Washington State—clients complete a nutrition screening and receive an assessment from a registered dietitian if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Binge-eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia are the most common eating disorders among young people.
Risk factors for eating disorders include untreated childhood or adolescent trauma, anxiety and/or depression, brain function, genetic vulnerability, and having traits like perfectionism or rigidity.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy have both proven effective in adolescent and young adult eating disorder treatment. These modalities support clients to reframe negative or irrational thinking, leading to more positive emotions and a reduction in eating disorder behaviors.
About 1 in 7 women and 1 in 5 men have an eating disorder, and the onset of these disorders is typically in adolescence or young adulthood.
