Eating Disorders Program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital

About Us

Eating is an enjoyable part of daily life. But for some, food represents a constant struggle. Whether you fear eating too much, too little or constantly think about food, it can become a problem that grows larger with time.

For those seeking professional medical treatment and care in overcoming psychological difficulties relating to nutrition and weight, the Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital is your place to begin the journey to health. Eating disorders are life-threatening behaviors that cause significant deterioration in your physical, social, psychological, and spiritual functioning. These behaviors can have an almost addictive quality that can sidetrack your life goals and cause strained relationships with family and friends.

The Eating Disorder Programs at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital offers a comprehensive approach that focuses on helping you put your eating behaviors into perspective. Our goal is to help you recover from unhealthy or self-defeating behaviors that may result in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive overeating, or binge eating.

Do I have an eating disorder?

The first step in treatment is to come to grips with the fact that you may have a problem.

• Are you constantly thinking about, planning, worrying, or changing your daily life plans in order to achieve weight loss?
• Are you already considerably underweight?
• Do people tell you that you are too thin, yet you continue to see yourself as fat?
• Are you exercising excessively, using purgatives, or going on severely restrictive diets - all to lose more weight?
• Are your eating habits, weight loss, and negative attitude toward your body beginning to impact your ability to function or enjoy life?
• Has it crossed your mind that you might be developing an eating problem?

What should you do?

The first step is to get information. Begin now! Do not let fear govern your decisions. Remember that eating disorders can be life threatening.

• Get a complete physical exam from your physician.
• Schedule an eating disorder assessment with one of our specialists. Experts can give you the most specific and comprehensive information about your condition.
• Seek out support and guidance from family and friends. These are the individuals who will be very important to your recovery.

What should the family know?

Many families believe that if the individual would just eat, the problem would disappear. Research and extensive clinical experience suggests this is simply not true. However, until families gain this insight, they often find themselves in one or more of these unhealthy situations:

• Family members blame themselves for the individual's eating disorder.
• They believe the individual truly cannot eat and must be given special treatment within the family.
• They begin to see and treat the individual as a chronically ill person, thus reinforcing a sick role.
• Family members feel powerless and begin to become angry, controlling, and intrusive.
• Parents feel they can no longer parent the individual and begin to withdraw.
• Parents begin to disagree with each other, thus increasing conflict within the family.

Our program focuses on helping families understand these issues and build a healthier home environment where every individual's needs are considered and respected. We work to involve all family members into our treatment process.

We also offer specialized services for children between ages 3 and 12 who have eating disorders.