There are many considerations when a person must choose the best eating disorder clinic. These range from affordability/insurance to success of clinics. Additional things to ponder include types of eating disorders addressed, level of outpatient support for clients, distance, and types of clients. Recommendations from trusted medical professionals are also valuable.
An area of concern for many when they choose the best eating disorder clinic is pricing. Some clinics take insurance or are funded by government health plans. Others operate privately and people might want to get ideas of total cost, and available payment plans. Money is a consideration for many people and could limit choice.
Eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia are hard to treat and many people relapse — having some sense of how well the clinic does its job is important. It might be wise to distrust clinics unwilling to give data on success rate or that have been open for a short time, unless clinics have other means of assuring competence such as a proven and highly experienced staff.
Part of success is making certain that people leaving a clinic have access to support. It’s vital to ascertain when folks try to choose the best eating disorder clinic that it either continues to offer outpatient support or is well connected to the different services on the outside available to people with eating disorders. Asking about what would constitute a discharge plan may be useful in this respect. Look for answers that include participation in ongoing support groups, possibly therapy, medical follow-up, and potentially ongoing work with a nutritionist.
Sometimes outpatient support is made easier when a clinic is close to home. It is more likely to have strong relationships with outpatient treatments or continue to provide treatment to discharged clients. For this reason, some people find they will choose the best eating disorder clinic if they pick one close to home. This isn’t always the best choice, and others find the programs or services of a clinic at a distance to be preferable.
There are clinics that specialize in certain clients, either with specific eating disorders or that fall into certain age groups or genders. It could be wise to choose the best eating disorder clinic by making sure the person served will be with others most like them. Teens may prefer to be with other teens, and may particularly benefit in group work from this association. Again, this choice is variable and very good clinics exist that serve a broader base of clients.
Lastly, people should consider getting recommendations before they make a decision. A doctor, nutritionist, or therapist might help folks choose the best eating disorder clinic based on their extensive experience. Unlike the person making the choice for the first time, experts may have helped other families and have a good sense of which programs are most successful or professional.