Eating Disorders

Eating disorders frequently co-occur with other disorders, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and substance abuse. People who suffer from eating disorders can experience a wide range of physical health complications, including serious heart conditions and kidney failure which may lead to death. Recognition of eating disorders as real and treatable diseases, therefore, is critically important.

Approximately one in ten individuals identified as suffering from an eating disorder are male, although there is some reason to believe that young men with eating disorders are more reluctant to seek treatment than young women. The Eating Disorder Clinic has extensive experience treating both male and female clients with eating disorders.

Available Programs

Many treatment options are available for clients at the Eating Disorder Clinic. The treatment is generally staged to the state of recovery. Often in the early phases, the goal is weight-recovery and normalizing eating behaviour, and later in treatment, the goal may be directed to issues related to body image. At times therapy will progress to other issues that co-occur, including depression, anxiety, or personality issues. Where hospitalization is required, patients are referred to an established inpatient program. Referrals to inpatient units with a close relationship with eating disorder treatment programs in local and other hospitals in the province has been maintained. The vast majority of patients are successfully treated on an outpatient basis, and the typical course of treatment lasts 4 to 6 months with considerable variability depending on individual factors.