Services and Programs

Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program

About the Program

The Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program is an evaluation and treatment program for pre-teens and young adults with various eating disorders including —anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. It is also open to teens and young adults who are in the early stages of developing an eating disorder, seeming to diet excessively, engage in self-induced vomiting, have a distorted body image, or are having conflicts with family or friends over eating. This superior evaluation and treatment program services teens and young people in upstate New York, reaching north to Watertown, south to the state line, west toward Buffalo, and east to Albany.

Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program About the Program Symptoms of an Eating Disorder Evaluation and Treatment Contact Us Our Team Information and Support Services

Based at Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, the program has attracted an interdisciplinary, professional team specializing in:

• Adolescent medicine
• Psychiatry and psychology
• Nutrition
• Nursing
• Social work
• Teen life

It is this nationally recognized team that comprehensively assesses young people who come to Strong and develops and implements effective, individualized treatment plans. This program is comprehensive—offering both inpatient and outpatient services. Drawing on the most current and proven methods of treatment, Adolescent Medicine moves young people toward wellness and a healthy adulthood.

• Girls and young women
• Young people who are depressed, anxious, sad, with feelings of helplessness, or the need to be perfect
• Students involved in athletic or artistic endeavors that emphasize thinness (e.g., ballet, running, or gymnastics)
• Teens dealing with family stress, transitions, or loss
• Individuals teased about their weight by family or friends

Our Patients in the Program

The Eating Disorders Program is designed for young patients from 10 to 21 years of age. Every socio-economic level is affected, though young people in middle-to-upper income families are particularly susceptible to eating disorders. Girls and young women are affected in greater numbers than boys or young men.

The Program's Success Rates

The success rates are very good. More than 80% of Strong's inpatient eating disorder patients attain a healthy eating pattern and retain that pattern in 4- to 12-year follow-up studies.

There is substantive evidence that Strong's outpatients too recover in the vast majority of cases.