Private Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder for Teenager

[DarkChocHolic]

DD16 struggles with Binge eating. She has been to the eating disorder clinic to acknowledged she has issues with eating. However, they are predominantly a service that are geared to support anorexia so she discharged her back to CAMHS.
DD is currently on fluoxetine but we are getting no help around the eating.
I was wondering if anyone has used private help for BED and were happy to recommend.
I have been looking at the Orri and Nightingale hospital websites but really would like recommendations.
Thank you!

I’ve found The Priory really good for my BED @DarkChocHolic (your DD would need a child psychiatrist of course)
My psychiatrist has been incredibly kind and supportive and I wouldn’t meet any threshold for NHS help. He has saved my life twice in the last three years.

@Jaffaexplodingmouse
Thank you!
I will try the priory.
She certainly needs help but isn't able to qualify for NHS ED services. Sadly not many places want to help under 18s and keep sending us back to camhs.

@Jaffaexplodingmouse
Also if you don't mind me asking, would a treatment for BED involve therapy as well as dietetics?

My treatment has involved psychiatrist, medication, eating plans, dietician appointments and therapists. Also had an inpatient stay for a month but that was more for depression than ED. The psychiatrist will assess your DD and they then have all the other professionals available as needed. Do you have private medical insurance as it does get expensive otherwise (but still definitely worth it) Mine is costing over £1000 a month at the moment with fortnightly psych appts and weekly therapy sessions.
Wishing you and your DD all the best. BED does tend to get overlooked as it doesn’t look as dramatic as AN but it is still really hard to live with xx

I don’t know how severe hers is, but I was able to turn it around with counselling alone.

I started seeing a counsellor from BEAT privately, and then when my turn on waiting list came up I qualified for 12 (?) sessions and I switched to that with same counsellor. It was in 2021 during Covid, so all online too.

@Jaffaexplodingmouse
Thank you again.
I need to check if our insurance will cover.
I know what you mean about not getting enough support for BED.
I cried to camhs last week stating if I gave DD a meal plan of healthy food refused to allow her privileges until she eats well, policed her every move and forced exercise on her, I would be branded as a mum who body shames or abuses.
Yet, a lot of this is routinely prescribed for anorexia.
There is no winning for me..I either ignore everything and watch her spiral or i take charge and get called names.

Xx

Did that involve 3 meals and 3 snacks eating plan @CRbear
I think that is the proven way to break the bingeing cycle although it is difficult to stick to and counterintuitive when you just feel that you want to reduce how much you are eating.

Best of luck. She is lucky to be getting the support from you and hopefully you can get it sorted out so it doesn’t affect her life going forward xx

@CRbear
That's interesting. I did use the helpfinder today and found a local dietetic service.
I have emailed them and they can help.
They said she can start with th3 dietician first.
All this time I have been wary of dietician as she is 16.
But she desperately needs a meal plan and some guidance.
The NHS one only told her about clean eating in order to not get hung up about calories etc and we find she needs more than that advice

I guess my worry is I don't want it to feel like I am putting her through something like slimming world or weight watchers.
However, she certainly needs help with a bmi of 30 at the age of 16.

If it is BED then restricted diets are the worst thing you can do for her. I’d say get her assessed by an ED psychiatrist at the priory (£300 ish for initial consult, I think) and take their advice.

Mine was focused on breaking the emotional reasons for bingeing and replacing the self soothing I was using food for, with other things. Baths featured incredibly heavily. It sounds mad talking about it now but because fundamentally that’s what I was doing with food, it worked for me.

I have recently gotten pregnant though and found some of my demons resurfacing - the weight gain being a positive has been a real head fuck- so I sought out further counselling last week and they’ve put me on 3+3! I’d never come across it before - or if it was mentioned years ago I didn’t do it. I have found it so useful. it was scary to start with and still early days but it’s definitely corrected a worrying path I was going down. I’m seeing a dietician on Friday. So I suppose the work of it is never over- you have to be vigilant forever but there is hope!

Definitely scary but the logic is that the total calories of 3+3 will be much less than those of the binges it replaces.

I have done Orri for anorexia - both the day treatment and outpatient. They had lots of young people of a similar age. There were patients with all different types of ED, including binge eating disorder. Personally I think theyhave provided the best treatment I’ve had to date, are holistic, individual and caring. Highly recommend. In the outpatient element you can choose which bits of treatment you want eg therapy, dietician, social work, OT, somatic therapy, psychiatrist etc etc and you just have those. They will guide you on what might help.
I would contact them and find out more to see if it might suit.

@RedPanda2022
Thanks. I will give orri a call.
My daughter was in tears today before school saying she is "fat".
I seriously don't know how to help.
It almost seems like she wants me to take charge as she doesn't know how to change things about the way she eats.
If I ask how can I help it is always a "I don't know"
I feel so helpless.

Xx

Just wondering if you have any update and if orri was any help?

@afewtoomanychoices
I have spoken to orri and they indicated they could help. It's just a question of how expensive it is and whether insurance will even pick up some of it.

I have one more referral to the camhs eating disorder unit. I am not very hopeful and I think they will turn us down again.
Even if they do accept her, not sure whether she will get therapy in addition to dietetics. In my mind, she needs therapy more importantly than a diet plan.

My DD is currently with Orri. She was full time for 12 weeks, tho returning to her flat in the evenings and weekends. She is now seguing back to work and at Orri for 2 days a week. I honestly don't know ow how long she'll need support. She's eating 3 meals a day and snacks and taking it seriously. But she still has the demons which caused her ED. I think it is too much to expect a quick cure for 8 or so years of hard set behaviors.
But she says they are compassionate and it's good to know there's a range of experts there that she can continue to lean on even when she returns to work full time.
But boy it's expensive!

@scoliworrier
Was this for anorexia or binge/bulimia?
Part of me thinks DD is still not emotionally mature to embrace changes brought about by such a regimented approach. Especially when costs are so high.
But then the longer it is left the harder it gets.

More complex than labelling it anorexia or bulimia. But she is 25, and there are teens of 18 and 19 there. And older women too.
We've been offered and are doing some family therapy as part of it, and there are carers sessions too - all done online

Family therapy should be offered for any under 18 with disordered eating, is there a private family/systemic therapist in your area OP?

@Twoshoesnewshoes
We are having family therapy as DD is currently under tier 4 intensive care.
It is to finish shortly and doesn't focus on eating issues as such.
I am wondering if I should look for family therapy specific to eating disorders if that even exists.
DD tried private therapy on her own but I think it was ineffective as she never talked about issues really bothering her.
And I had no clue what was discussed to help her at home.