FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you feel like thoughts of food, or your body are preoccupying your life?
• Do you have poor body image?
• Do you have low self-esteem?
• Are you convinced you need to be on a diet?

If you are preoccupied by food or poor body image, it may be beneficial to receive an assessment to see if you would benefit from treatment for an eating disorder. Click here to see more signs you may need treatment.

The RED Clinic treats the full spectrum of eating disorders, including:

Anorexia Nervosa 

What is it?

With Anorexia Nervosa, a disconnect occurs between what a person sees in the mirror and the reality of their thinness. With this disbelief, a person may limit their food intake to dangerous extremes – with restricted eating resulting in malnutrition, starvation, and other physical and medical issues.

What to Look For

Warning signs of Anorexia Nervosa include various types of restricted eating, including limiting food, skipping meals, not eating in front of others, etc., which result in weight loss, malnutrition, starvation, and possibly more health issues.

Possible Health Issues

Besides weight loss, malnutrition, and starvation, which are associated with Anorexia Nervosa, this Eating Disorder (ED) can lead to medical complications that include bone density loss, low blood pressure, low heart rate, endocrine changes, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, dehydration, constipation, elevated liver enzymes, organ failure, and even death.

Atypical Anorexia

What Is It?

Suffering from atypical anorexia indicates restrictive eating, fear of weight gain, and poor body image. Those with Atypical Anorexia can be above normal weight or in their normal weight range. Nonetheless, individuals can experience dangerous side effects from malnutrition associated with rapid weight loss.

What to Look For

Atypical anorexia can occur no matter what your weight. Even if a person is above their normal weight range, if they have lost a large amount of weight via restrictive eating or fear weight gain, they can suffer from Atypical Anorexia.

Possible Health Issues

Losing weight too quickly or via restrictive eating can cause serious health issues. Malnutrition and long-term digestive problems related to weight loss can cause medical complications that include bone density loss, low blood pressure, low heart rate, endocrine changes, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, dehydration, constipation, elevated liver enzymes, organ failure, and even death.

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

What Is It?

Often known as “extreme picky eating,” the consistent and constant avoidance of foods results in nutritional deficits and lack of energy. Aversions to certain foods can be based on sensory sensitivity (texture or specific preparation of a particular food), traumatic experience (choking or vomiting), general aversion (little or no interest) in food, and secondary to a medical diagnosis (Crohn’s disease, etc.). Improving the food repertoire and/or weight restoration are the benefits of seeking treatment for this disorder.

What to Look For

ARFID/Extreme Picky Eating can occur in children and adults no matter your body structure or weight. Many people never outgrow extreme picky eating because it is an actual disorder that sometimes remains untreated for long periods. Trauma and other medical conditions can induce anxiety with certain types of food, as can sensory or aversion to different textures of food. If meal times are struggles because of a limited palate or, as a parent, you sense that your child’s picky eating is not being taken seriously, we at the RED Clinic understand the psychological complexity of the disorder. It is better to get early intervention than to delay and face serious health risks.

If your child is rejecting nutritional food regularly and you fear this issue, consider our Schwalen ARFID Treatment Protocol. Unique to the RED Clinic and based on Dr. Schwalen’s extensive experience and expertise with ARFID, clients from around the world are overcoming ARFID through The RED Clinic. For more on the protocol unique to Dr. Schwalen, click here.

Possible Health Issues

ARFID/Picky Eating can cause serious health issues that can last a lifetime. Besides malnutrition, young clients with a limited food repertoire can experience developmental delays, significant weight loss or failure to achieve expected weight gain/faltering growth, significant nutritional deficiency, dependence on enteral feeding or nutritional supplements, and brain damage due to a lack of appropriate nutrients. Other health issues associated with ARFID include bone density loss, low blood pressure, low heart rate, endocrine changes, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, dehydration, constipation, elevated liver enzymes, organ failure, and even premature death.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

What Is It?

Regularly consuming large quantities of food in one sitting, accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, and being out of control are what define Binge Eating Disorder (BED).

What to Look For

Feelings of out-of-control food consumption, privately or publicly, as well as guilt and shame regarding eating too much or past the point of satiating hunger, are all warning signs of Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Binge eating episodes, feelings of guilt and shame, and secrecy or hiding food are the main indicators of BED.

Possible Health Issues

Bingeing foods can cause many health issues. Suppressing the body and brain connection of signaling fullness can have lasting long-term health issues, such as vomiting/aspiration, metabolic syndrome, glucose dysregulation, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and osteoarthritis.

Bulimia Nervosa

What Is It?

A person with Bulimia Nervosa regularly engages in binge eating episodes and then purges via self-inflicted vomiting, the use of laxatives, over-exercising, or other methods. Poor body image and emotional dysregulation are also a part of this eating disorder (ED).

What To Look For

Warning signs of Bulimia Nervosa include binge eating, secret eating, going to the bathroom immediately following meals, weight loss, malnutrition, tooth decay, heart issues, and even more health issues.

Possible Health Issues

Besides binge eating, purging, and malnutrition, which are associated with Bulimia Nervosa, this Eating Disorder (ED) can lead to dental enamel loss, esophageal rupture, partial gland hypertrophy, severe hypokalemia, cardiac arrhythmia, metabolic alkalosis, aspiration pneumonia, cardiac failure, and even death.

Compulsive Overeating

What Is It?

Compulsive Overeating is marked by an undeniable urge to eat past fullness or to the point of discomfort. Even though hunger has passed, compulsive overeating likely continues because of past trauma or neglect. Because everyone has their own unique relationship with food, we determine the causation and patterns of compulsive overeating and treat the whole person in their healing journey.

What to Look For

Feelings of out-of-control food consumption, privately or publicly, and guilt and shame regarding eating too much or past the point of satiating hunger are all warning signs of compulsive overeating. Weight loss or weight gain is not indicative of compulsive overeating. Feelings and secrecy or hiding food are the main indicators of this eating disorder (ED).

Possible Health Issues

Compulsive Overeating can cause many health issues — from minor to major issues. Suppressing the body and brain connection of signaling fullness can have lasting long-term health issues, such as long-lasting confusion for your body. Your digestive system may no longer be able to trigger feelings of hunger or fullness correctly. Lasting long-term health issues include vomiting/aspiration, metabolic syndrome, glucose dysregulation, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and osteoarthritis. Other long-term psychological health issues include delaying appropriate treatment of replacing the poor coping skill of compulsive overeating with other destructive addictive behaviors.

Emotional Eating 

What Is It?

Emotional eating can become a coping mechanism when emotions are intense or ignored. Eating your feelings doesn’t have to remain the status quo. Eating when you are hungry is normal. Eating to avoid feelings or to wallow in emotion is not healthy.

What to Look For

Your body should signal your hunger, and food should be considered fuel. Intense feelings of anger, rejection, sadness and even joy can be triggers for consuming food when someone struggles with this eating disorder (ED). Weight gain may or may not be an indicator of this ED.

Possible Health Issues

Emotional Eating can confuse your body. Your digestive system may no longer be able to trigger feelings of hunger or fullness correctly. Suppressing the body and brain connection of signaling fullness can have lasting long-term health issues, such as vomiting/aspiration, metabolic syndrome, glucose dysregulation, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and osteoarthritis. Other long-term psychological health issues include delaying appropriate treatment of replacing the poor coping skill of emotional eating with other destructive addictive behaviors.

• We need to establish baseline data for each client’s functioning. The data from the assessment is used to build the treatment plan objectives, so we can do all we can to support relapse prevention and enter proper recovery.
• The RED Clinic implements the gold standard of eating disorder care as a multidisciplinary team with family/support system-based treatment for eating disorders.
• We want to ensure each client is established with an attending psychologist to oversee the eating disorder treatment they receive. The attending completes the initial assessment in order to use data to drive our recommendations for recovery. The Registered Dietitian (RD) also needs an updated assessment to determine when the client will be ready for interventions like intuitive eating and departure from a structured meal plan.

There are many factors that impact the treatment length, including readiness to achieve recovery and individual needs. In general, the treatment time for outpatient recovery can be from six months to a year or more.

The average length of treatment is six months to a year or more. Our goal is true recovery, not just stabilization. We know that treatment is over when the eating disorder is behind you and you are experiencing an improved quality of life.

A full assessment is needed by the RED Clinic clinicians before we can determine if hospitalization is necessary. Please click here for more information or contact us.

We implement the APA standard of care, which is treating an eating disorder with a multidisciplinary team, including a registered dietitian through our Nutrition Services. We know the totality of care is necessary for relapse prevention and recovery.

You are welcome at the RED Clinic, but your diet isn’t. We do not believe in promoting diet culture. We want to move you away from thinking your happiness is determined by being successful at a diet. Our philosophy is that all foods fit. There are no unhealthy or healthy foods, just unhealthy and healthy people. We want to help you obtain the most healthy relationship with food by educating you as you receive treatment for your eating disorder.

Ultimately, we understand that many diagnoses co-occur with an eating disorder (ED). ED is the umbrella diagnosis, and trauma, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse can be coexisting with the ED. We take a holistic approach and address everything that goes along with the ED, as our goal is relapse prevention and recovery.

Being scared or nervous is normal. Our team consists of very caring, warm, attentive professionals who understand this next step in recovery. We are with you to guide you and offer comfort. We cannot guarantee relapse won’t happen for you, but it is our goal and highest priority. The treatment objective is relapse prevention. There is no shame in relapse because sometimes it is a step in the journey. The team will closely monitor you and make sure you are getting the appropriate level of care that you need.

Our intake specialists verify your insurance provides mental health benefits. We accept most insurance plans.  Our intake department will work with each insurance company to get treatment authorization and provide you with any out-of-pocket costs.

Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room right away.

At the RED Clinic, we have qualified licensed psychologists and registered dietitians who will complete a comprehensive psychological and nutrition assessment which will be used to determine the best treatment for you. Our clinicians are able to provide comprehensive psychological services, and our team can provide nutrition services if the assessment data demonstrates both are needed.

This is a great question to bring to your therapist to help you walk through these issues in therapy.

Yes, we have a virtual parent support group for people with children with eating disorders. Call scheduling to find out more. 

We know that there is not just one single cause for how an eating disorder (ED) develops. While this question is common for those in treatment, you are absolutely not to blame. EDs develop because of psychological, biological, and social factors that come together to create the perfect storm.

The RED Clinic treatment team will meet with you to devise a plan for normalized eating. (Normalized eating is whatever is normal for your family.)

As a treatment team, our psychologists work in close collaboration with your Registered Dietitian to determine your child’s nutritional needs. We also work to achieve normalized eating as much as possible. (Normalized eating is whatever is normal for your family.) If eating out is normal for your family, we will do what we can within that parameter.

Experientials are exposures to real-life circumstances while having a professional alongside you every step of the way. Experientials provide point-of-performance coaching for you during previously stressful situations. They give you skills in the moment when faced with experiences that were previously stressful and overwhelming. Our clinicians will experience this with you, hence the name Experientials.

Click here for information about what to bring to your first appointment.