If you or someone you know has struggled with an eating disorder, you know how complex these conditions can be. A strong desire to lose weight or get in shape can evolve into a compulsion — marked by severe food restriction, bingeing or purging. Eventually, the disorder can affect a person physically, psychologically and socially.

Look for expert specialists
What’s the best way to treat these complex conditions? “It’s important to find a facility that has a team of specialists who can evaluate and treat every aspect of eating disorders,” says Joel Jahraus, MD, executive director at Park Nicollet Melrose Institute (formerly Methodist Hospital Eating Disorders Institute). “At the very minimum, the team should include medical doctors, psychiatrists, dietitians and therapists.”

Melrose Institute also has physical and occupational therapists, health educators, nurses, social workers, art therapists and spiritual care providers. Care is coordinated by a highly effective group of care managers who communicate with the patient, family and rest of the care team.

Look for comprehensive treatment
Melrose Institute offers inpatient (intensive structured living) and residential (extended structured living) programs, plus four levels of outpatient treatment. Outpatient levels (30 minutes a week to 12 hours a day) allow for less intensive programming as patients heal, and gradually transition patients out of the program at a pace that works for them. The different levels also ensure that skills have been learned, developed and become part of patients’ lives.

Look for family involvement
Melrose Institute recognizes that family and friends can help patients recover. “We often help families and patients heal together, especially if the parents or the individual has a lot of guilt and shame associated with the eating disorder,” Dr. Jahraus says. “We want everyone to realize that eating disorders are no one’s fault.”

Look for innovation
Many facilities that treat eating disorders use a cookie-cutter approach, treating all patients with the same techniques. “The approach we developed, called the Melrose Institute treatment model, is unique. It allows patients to choose some of their treatment options,” Dr. Jahraus explains. “Eating disorders can take away so much from patients that we believe it is important to offer them choices and some self-determination in their care.”

Look for proven results
In 2008, the institute began testing the effectiveness of the Melrose Institute treatment model by measuring patients’ long-term success in reducing eating disorder symptoms, improving their quality of life and taking charge of their recovery. It also measures the frequency of re-hospitalization and the return of related conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

By analyzing these results, the institute can gauge its effectiveness and modify its program accordingly. “So far, we have received tremendously positive feedback,” Dr. Jahraus says. “We believe our personalized approach with an innovative solution is helping us achieve better outcomes.”

Look at the new facility
The new Melrose Institute, a freestanding facility dedicated to treating eating disorders, opened March 16, 2009. Its fireplaces, solarium, outdoor deck and gardens are designed specifically to help reduce anxiety and promote healing. The facility offers separate programs for men and women based on age and common interests.

To learn more about treating eating disorders or to schedule an initial assessment, call 952-993-6200 or visit parknicollet.com.