managing healthcare in a new town

Moving to a new town comes with a lot of tasks to get done. Not only do you have to get all of your belongings moved, but you have to make changes to your medical care facilities. So, when you get to your new home town, do you know what health care clinics you can rely on for the care of your family? Will you couple your family's healthcare with both a clinic and a PCP? This blog will give you several suggestions about how to manage the changes in your family's healthcare adaptations to ensure you receive the best possible care in your new home town.

3 Tips To Help Your Teen Benefit From An Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment Center

Health & Medical Blog

As the parent of a teenager, eating disorders are all too common of a problem. Recent estimates are that about 3% of teens have an eating disorder, but many never receive any form of treatment for it. In addition, South Carolina has stated that individuals suffering from eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any group of people with mental illness. Therefore, if your teenaged son or daughter has an eating disorder, it is crucial to immediately assess the need for and prepare for their enrollment in an outpatient eating disorder treatment facility.

#1-Understand The Role Of The Family In Recovery From Eating Disorders

Given the complexity of eating disorders and the propensity for relapse, it is often recommended that family members become educated as to the problem. By doing so, your teenager's recovery may be easier for everyone. As part of that, it is often recommended for other members of the family to participate n the recovery process.

In addition, family therapy could be helpful in many cases. Meal support, intensive therapy and regular weigh-ins are frequently necessary to help eating disorder sufferers recover. Meal support is helpful because it can normalize the eating experience and reduce the guilt or shame that is often associated with eating. Although that practice may begin as part of the recovery in a clinical setting, it will often transfer home as well as part of healing.

#2-Truly Understand The Disease And Its Impact

It is not unusual to be unaware of the symptoms associated with each type of eating disorder. For instance, it can be surprising to learn that there are many different types of eating disorders, many of which may present with overlapping symptoms. It is important to note that despite common misconceptions, eating disorders are not solely seen in females.

Your teen may require meal support and intensive therapy in order to recover. Regular weigh-ins are also a common step to healing and becoming healthy.

#3-Make Sure That Your Teenager Knows What To Expect

Although physical recovery after a eating disorder is obviously of immediate importance, it may only be successful in many cases when accompanied by different types of appropriate counseling. Nutritional counseling, medical assessments, peer pressure, cultural expectations and underlying psychological issues are a few of the more common reasons that eating disorders develop. Since there can be different reasons for the development of the problem, it only makes sense that the care plan is also likely to vary from one patient to another.  It is crucial to remember that eating disorders should only be diagnosed by medical professionals and there are a number of other problems that can mimic symptoms of eating disorders.

Counseling may happen weekly, daily and anything between the two. Both individual and group interpersonal counseling may be recommended.  An inclusive plan for recovery is often the least invasive option to help teens recover from an eating disorder that does not completely disrupt abnormal adolescent activities. Increased accountability for food choices, blood work to assess the overall health of your son or daughter and regular weigh-ins weigh-ins are common in outpatient eating disorder clinics.

In conclusion, by providing the appropriate familial, medical and psychological support to your teenaged son or daughter while they receive care from an outpatient eating disorder treatment center, you can significantly impact their future good health and recovery. Therefore, the above information will help you and your family prepare for the challenging experience ahead of you.

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3 February 2016