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Eating Disorder Services
Eating disorders are characterized by unhealthy approaches to eating, weight and exercise. But they are more than a refusal to eat healthy; eating disorders are complex psychiatric disorders. If your child has an eating disorder, she also might have problems with self-image, self-esteem and even depression.
As many as 24 million people in the United States have an eating disorder, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Most of the people who have eating disorders say that their disorder began before they reached age 20.
Children’s Health℠ nationally recognized eating disorder specialists focus on caring for children and teens who have eating disorders. We also focus on research that’s trying to identify the genetic causes of eating disorders so that doctors can better target treatments to each individual patient.
Why Children's Health℠?
Services
- Psychotherapy
- Day treatment
- Nutritional counseling
- Medication management
- Therapeutic school
- Behavioral programs
- Group therapy
- Art therapy
- Recreation therapy
- Music therapy
The physicians who practice at Children’s Health maintain faculty status at the University of Texas Southwestern and are aware of cutting-edge research and therapy for eating disorders to help our patients.
To learn more about our eating disorders program, please call our office at 469-303-5900.
Treating Eating Disorders
Our comprehensive program focuses on treating children and teens. We treat boys and girls who have eating disorders and tailor each child’s treatment to their special situation. Our goal is to help your child manage his or her eating disorder and to prevent the disorder from causing more severe physical or psychological problems.
Because our program is so comprehensive, we can treat children and teens at every stage of an eating disorder, from providing outpatient therapy to help prevent bulimic behavior from spiraling out of control or returning, to inpatient therapy for anorexia that has caused serious health problems in a patient.
If your child’s eating disorder has caused medical problems that must be addressed, The physicians who practice at Children’s Health and nurses take care of those problems right away. Your child might require hospitalization for a short time.
Parents & Family Roles
Eating disorders have no single cause. We can blame a culture that stresses appearance and body image or the media. These factors add to the problem, but recent research shows that your child’s eating disorder might be rooted in his genes. Anxiety, depression and other psychological factors also play a role.
Parents and family are critical to supporting children and teens who have eating disorders, but parents should never blame themselves for their child’s eating disorder or point fingers at others. Most of all, you should remember that your teen is often afraid and needs extra support when diagnosed with an eating disorder. The physicians who practice at Children’s Health work with you and your entire family to help your child manage an eating disorder.