Adolescent Orthorexia Disorder Treatment In Pennsylvania

Adolescent Orthorexia Disorder Treatment In Pennsylvania

Orthorexia nervosa, while not a fully designated mental health disorder, is a growing concern. Evolving out of diet culture and the societal emphasis on “clean” and “healthy” food, orthorexic tendencies are viewed as socially acceptable due to a lack of understanding of the condition and the dangers it presents for adolescents.

Whenever people drastically limit the variety or amount of food they eat, they run the risk of nutrient and calorie deficiency, which can lead to malnutrition and other serious health problems. Even though there is no diagnostic criteria for orthorexia, eating disorder professionals are still diagnosing the condition as it has become increasingly prevalent in young women.

Signs of Orthorexia

These behaviors can create serious diagnostic concerns and cause harmful long-term health problems if not recognized and left untreated. While warning signs for orthorexia might be present, they are often difficult for parents and caregivers to spot.

• Weight variations
• Lack of concentration
• Insomnia
• Vital sign irregularities
• Constipation
• Dehydration
• Food group elimination
• Perseveration over meal ingredients

Orthorexia is Often Overlooked

In our current diet culture, cutting out entire food groups like sugar, fats, carbohydrates and dairy are commended. Foods have been given ambiguous labels that have unhelpful and even harmful labels like “good” and “bad” attached to them. For this reason, many of those living with this eating disorder can easily be mistaken for being health conscious to most parents, making teens suffering from malnutrition think of themselves as being healthy.

How Are Orthorexia and Anorexia Different?

Preoccupation with weight is one of the primary signs of anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders, but this is not a symptom of orthorexia. Instead, the focus for people with orthorexia is an excessive obsession with the health implications of their dietary choices.

Orthorexia nervosa is perhaps best summarized as an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. However, the attempt to attain optimum health through attention to diet may lead to malnourishment, loss of relationships, and poor quality of life.

Treatment for Adolescents in Pennsylvania

Our Saylorsburg, PA residential program provides 24-hour care to those with orthorexia in a cozy campus. For those with orthorexia, some teens experience malnutrition due to food restrictions and may require immediate medical attention. The length of residential care program depends on the specific needs of each patient.

Some may require 30 days of care, while others may need 60 days. All treat stays are clinical and medical and not driven by insurance company providers. Our orthorexia treatment program includes:

• Individual Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Nutritional Counseling
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Emotionally Focused Family Therapy
  
• Trauma Therapy
• Art Therapy

Treatment for Disordered Eating

In our Pennsylvania orthorexia treatment program, your adolescent will have 24/7 medical supervision while being nurtured to restore, grow, and recover from orthorexia and any other co-occurring disorders, Blue Ridge has become a destination of real light for families in Pennsylvania and beyond. Our treatment is designed to get your adolescent the best possible outcome through personalized, integrated care with low patient-staff ratios.

Call us today at 570-718-8800 to learn more about our Pennsylvania eating disorder treatment for adolescent girls.