Time In Treatment

How long does rehab really take? We understand that this is a concern when considering eating disorder treatment. Many people want to expedite their path to recovery, but effective treatment can’t be rushed. Why? Because you’re not just addressing one issue, but also the many underlying factors that have contributed to developing this disorder. If you don’t take the time to get to the root causes of a substance use or mental health disorder, you put yourself at greater risk of relapse.

Each person’s length of treatment is unique to the individual. While the average patient stay is approximately six to eight weeks, length of stay varies due to a range of factors including severity of symptoms, physical and medical complications, and personal treatment goals.

Effective Treatment Takes Time

There are several understandable reasons to want to speed up the treatment process. Taking time away from family, work, school, and friends can have financial, relational, or academic consequences. It can also be difficult to explain a longer absence to co-workers, teachers, coaches, and others, making it a privacy concern.

Common barriers to treatment:

  • I can’t leave my job
  • I can’t miss school or activities
  • Who will take care of my kids or pets?
  • I can’t afford it
  • I can’t leave my partner

The reality is, if you’re at the point of needing help, your disorder has probably already begun to negatively impact your job or education and your relationships. You’ll be a better partner, employee, student, parent, teammate, and friend once you’ve completed treatment. And many insurance programs cover at least part of the cost of eating disorder treatment.

While time away for inpatient treatment can seem difficult logistically, taking the time now to fully heal and develop recovery tools will pay life-long dividends. If you cut corners on treatment the first time, you are more likely to wind up returning, which will be more costly financially, physically, and emotionally.

Complex Disorders, Co-occurring Conditions

Eating disorders are complex diseases, and they don’t happen in a vacuum. In other words, getting help is just the beginning. Anyone can change their habits for a short amount of time. But recovery is about more than just abstaining from unhealthy habits, it’s about understanding the disorder and how it works. It’s about doing the deep work to get to the root causes, so you don’t just experience temporary recovery, but you are able to maintain lasting change and create the life you really want.

It won’t be easy, but it will be the most important thing you ever do for yourself. You can’t be truly healthy until you’re physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. This may involve confronting unresolved trauma or co-occurring mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or ADHD. You’ll also work on general coping skills and change unhealthy patterns. And before you leave, you’ll have a concrete plan for how to live out what you learned in treatment once you return home.

mother and daughter hugging

We Can Help You Get Help

If you’re ready to regain control of your life but you’re not sure how to go about it, we can help. Our admissions specialists can gather the information needed to assess your situation, walk you through your treatment options, look into insurance coverage, tell you what to expect upon arrival, and share resources for communicating your need for treatment to your partner, boss, school, family, and friends.

Call 866-330-1456