Ask Dr Nerenberg | Health and Fitness

What is inpatient like for an eating disorder?

I’m a college student who is struggling with anorexia. I have been in therapy, nutrition counseling, regular medical check ups, etc. for a couple months now. I have been doing everything they have been telling me to, but I haven’t gained weight. Because of this, they think I need to go IP. I really don’t want to go. I am scared and don’t understand why I need to go if I am doing what they are telling me to in outpatient. My family’s insurance only covers traditional treatment centers (that specialized in eating disorder but are still hospital like)….not residential ones. What are they like? Do I have any other good options?

I’m not sure what other places are like, but i’ll explain my situation..
I was in an inpatient program in March for 4 weeks. We lived in rooms with one other person, and got to keep some of our own stuff to personalize them. There was also a “day room”, one for adults and one for adolescents. We weren’t allowed in our rooms much, so this is where we hung out most of the time. We were woken up by a nurse at 6:00 in the morning, and they took our vitals (blood pressure and pulse) laying down, then standing. After that, we would get weighed (and couldn’t see the number) and then shower. Breakfast was at 7:20, AM snack at 10:00, lunch at 12:15, PM snack at 3:00, dinner at 5:15, and HS snack at 8:15. Our meals were chosen by the dietitians there and sometimes by our parents. Each patient had their own meal plan specifically designed for them, so we each ate different things, but off the same menu. When we weren’t in meals, we had programming (classes) like DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), CBT (cognative behavior therapy), Art therapy, music therapy, spirituality group, physical therapy (like stretch and strengthening), or occupational therapy. We also saw a doctor everyday, a therapist twice a week, and a dietitian once a week or more.
There were also a lot of rules..
we had to pee into a plastic “hat” so the staff could record our inputs and outputs of fluids.
we couldn’t use the bathroom an hour after meals, or we were observed
no napkins or sweatshirts at mealtime
no exercise
no being in our rooms after meals.

People are usually there for about 2 weeks..
I really hated it there, but I guess it had to be done .
I am now doing level 4 outpatient at the same facility which is 8 hours a day.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask!!

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