Residential Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can have a severe impact on physical, emotional, and mental well-being. While binge eating disorder (BED) is one of the most recently defined types of these conditions, it’s already considered the most common eating disorder.¹

Finding the appropriate help for BED is essential. Residential treatment can help those who are struggling to control their symptoms break these disruptive patterns and lean into longer-term goals for recovery.

What is Residential Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder?

Residential eating disorder treatment, whether for BED or other eating disorders, is one of the most intensive types of care for mental health conditions. It involves patients living full-time at a treatment facility, where they can focus full-time on recovery and receive 24-hour monitoring and care from professional staff.

When patients check in to a residential treatment center, they’ll undergo medical and psychiatric evaluations and be assigned to a treatment team comprising doctors, nurses, therapists, medical specialists, and other treatment professionals. They’ll also be given a treatment plan that will dictate their daily schedule and the type of care they’ll receive.

Since patients at this point of recovery are generally struggling to control their disordered thoughts and behaviors, it’s common for them to undergo several types of treatment at once. Daily schedules at residential treatment centers are typically strict, with staff ensuring that patients attend their treatment appointments and meals.

Residential treatment is generally a long-term form of care, with patients residing at a facility for several weeks or longer. As such, treatment centers are usually comfortable—more home-like than clinical—and some centers may allow visiting hours with friends and family once symptoms become stable and predictable.

Residential Treatment vs. Inpatient Treatment

Residential care is often confused with inpatient treatment, likely because both levels of care involve staying full-time in a medical facility. Nevertheless, they differ in several significant respects.

Inpatient treatment is the most intensive form of care. It’s generally reserved for patients who are considered “medically unstable” or those in immediate danger of a severe health crisis or death.² As such, the measures taken in inpatient treatment are also generally more extreme, including feeding tubes and other life-saving measures, and treatment usually takes place in a hospital or other clinical facility.

Inpatient treatment primarily focuses on stabilizing a patient’s health; it is typically short-term, with stays lasting a few days to a few weeks. Once patients are deemed medically stable, they can be discharged, typically to lower levels of care, such as residential treatment or partial hospitalization programs, where they can begin focusing on longer-term recovery goals.

Residential Treatment vs. Outpatient Treatment

After inpatient care, residential treatment is considered the most intensive level of care for eating disorders, as patients are in treatment or treatment centers full-time. Outpatient treatments are considered less intensive because patients can live at home while attending these programs.

There are several types of outpatient care, including:

• Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs): The most intensive outpatient program, PHPs require a patient to attend treatment a majority of the time, lasting anywhere from 5-6 days per week, up to 10 hours per day.² As with residential treatment, several types of therapy are administered at once, and as patients progress toward recovery, schedules are adjusted accordingly.
• Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs): IOPs are a middle-ground form of outpatient treatment, typically occurring 3-5 days per week for 3-4 hours per day. [2] Patients at this level are usually ready to begin incorporating additional social responsibilities into their daily routine while remaining focused on recovery.
• Standard outpatient care: This level of care usually involves regular appointments with a therapist or psychiatrist and occasional check-ins with doctors or other treatment team members. At this point, patients should have relatively good control of their symptoms, continue using treatment to practice healthier coping skills, and monitor for potential triggers. Sessions may be weekly, monthly, or infrequent, depending on the individual’s needs and stability.

In general, patients attending residential care have a harder time controlling their disordered thoughts or behaviors than those in outpatient care. They would otherwise benefit from temporarily living in a recovery-focused environment.

Types of Treatment in Residential Care

Residential treatment for BED, as with most residential treatment programs, often involves several different therapies to help address the various mental, physical, and emotional complications of binge eating disorder.

Therapy

Nearly always, patients will attend at least some type of psychotherapy or talk therapy. Individual therapy is an important way for patients to understand the issues that may have contributed to the development of their binge eating behaviors, and it can also help them learn to dismantle those behaviors and practice new, healthier coping mechanisms. 

Group therapy is another common treatment in which patients can practice new coping skills and gain a sense of community and support in their recovery.

Nutrition Counseling

Many patients with BED will also receive specific care around food and eating. Nutrition counseling can help them understand how to prepare healthy meals and meal plans and work on healing their relationship with food and body image. Similarly, meal support staff can help patients stick to their meal plans and feel more comfortable while eating.

Medical Monitoring

Nearly all patients will also undergo medical monitoring to track vital signs and other important measurements throughout treatment. Some patients will also receive medication as part of their care, and others may need additional medical treatments to address various physical issues related to BED.Depending on the treatment center, several alternative therapies may also be available. This can include art therapy, yoga and other movement-related therapies, acupuncture, and other forms of care.

Pros and Cons of Residential Treatment for BED

There are many potential benefits of receiving binge eating disorder treatment at a residential facility.

For those experiencing difficulty controlling their symptoms, these centers provide 24-hour access to medical staff and care. Living at a facility can also help alleviate or eliminate any stressors a patient experiences at home that may drive their behaviors. Temporarily living at a treatment center gives patients the chance to dig more deeply into the details of their condition and focus full-time on recovery.

Still, this type of care isn’t for everyone. Residential treatment tends to be the most expensive type of care for binge eating disorder, and it can be hard to have these programs approved by insurance companies. It may also be difficult for some patients to be away from home and from their social or familial responsibilities for extended periods. People with young children could find residential treatments a significant challenge.

Overall, there is no “right” or “wrong” treatment choice for someone struggling with BED. Working together with a doctor or treatment team can help you or a loved one determine the best possible road to recovery.

Who is Residential Treatment Best for?

In general, residential treatment is a good option for people who are severely struggling to keep their disordered thoughts and behaviors under control. It can also be helpful for those who have struggled for a long time or are dealing with particularly difficult long-term consequences of the condition. 

Residential treatment is a more intensive form of care best suited for patients who are ready, willing, and able to devote substantial time and energy to treating their condition and healing their mind and body. Those who have struggled in less-intensive forms of care, such as outpatient care, IOPs, and PHPs, or those who have started and stopped therapy several times, may also benefit from this more encompassing format.

However, nearly all residential treatment centers require that patients be medically stable before admission. If a patient is experiencing a serious medical crisis, they may be better suited to inpatient treatment before beginning their residential treatment.

How to Find a Residential Treatment Center

While it’s essential to find appropriate care for binge eating disorder and other eating disorders, finding eating disorder treatment centers that work best for you or your loved one can be difficult.

At the outset, seek guidance from a medical or mental health provider. These professionals will have experience making referrals and will understand some of the potential pros and cons of available programs. 

If you are not currently receiving treatment, consider contacting your insurance company directly to ask which programs in your area are likely to be covered. This can help eliminate any unexpected charges in the future. Make sure to ask about extenuating circumstances, such as whether an insurance policy covers only a limited period at a residential facility.

Another way to get started is by simply looking up centers online. This can feel overwhelming, but asking some of these questions can help you make the best choice possible:³

• What does an average day at your center look like?
• How do you determine the appropriate treatment approach?
• Are family members included in the treatment process?
• How do you define progress toward recovery?
• What are your general goals for treatment? Do you have a recovery philosophy?
• What is the average length of stay at your facility?
• What is your step-down process after treatment?
• What documents will I need to get started?

Taking the time to find a treatment center that feels good for you or your loved one can play an important role in sticking with the recovery program. This can be an important step toward achieving long-term recovery from binge eating disorder.