Types of Eating Disorder Treatment for Children

The UPMC Center for Eating Disorders provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for children with eating disorders.

Inpatient Treatment for Children with Eating Disorders

Inpatient treatment may be useful for children who are severely underweight or in need of medical stabilization because of:

• Anorexia
• Bulimia
• Binge eating
• Other eating disorders

Inpatient care for most individuals with eating disorders is provided at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Oakland. For children under 14 years of age, the UPMC Center for Eating Disorders partners with UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to ensure medical stabilization and begin the process of nutritional restoration.

Inpatient care focuses on medical stabilization and behavioral therapy.

Goals of inpatient treatment

• Balancing nutrition
• Restoring minimally adequate body weight
• Easing related physical symptoms of eating disorders
• Reducing disordered eating habits and behaviors

Types of inpatient treatment for eating disorders

• Medical assessment and constant monitoring
• Daily one-on-one meetings with the treatment team
• Medication management, as needed

Outpatient Treatment for Children with Eating Disorders

The UPMC Center for Eating Disorders has two levels of outpatient care at:

• Children’s Pine Center for children ages 12 to 18.
• Western Psychiatric for those over age 18.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

We have separate PHP and IOP programs for adults and adolescents because they have different needs and benefit from different types of treatment. Both PHP programs run Monday through Friday during the day time and include two supervised meals and one snack daily, nutritional counseling, close medical monitoring, individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management as needed.

The program for adolescents also includes a school component. The PHP level of care is designed for patients who require close monitoring and supervised meals, have failed to benefit from less intensive care, are acutely ill but do not require inpatient hospitalization, or need step-down care after inpatient hospitalization.

The IOP programs are three evenings per week and include one meal per evening, nutritional counseling, close medical monitoring, individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management as needed. The IOP level of care is designed for patients who would benefit from the structure of an evening program or from support in continued recovery after returning to work or school.

Contact Us About Treating Your Child's Eating Disorder

If you have questions or need help for your child's eating disorder, please call the UPMC Center for Eating Disorders at 412-647-9329.

If you have questions or need help, please call the UPMC Center for Eating Disorders at 412-647-9329.