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Eating Recovery Center Announces Program Expansion Treating Binge Eating Disorder

November 1, 2017
Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery Program (BETR) Addresses Most Common Eating Disorder as Obesity Rates are at an All-Time High

Eating Recovery Center (ERC), a trusted provider of comprehensive treatment for eating disorders, announced today the expansion of its highly-successful program for patients with binge eating disorder (BED) which originally launched at ERC, Illinois. The Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery Program (BETR) is now available at ERC’s headquarters in Denver, CO, joining ERC locations in California, Ohio, Texas, The Carolinas and Washington. The additional program locations have been introduced at a critical moment as BED remains an issue that lacks public awareness and understanding, despite being the most common eating disorder in the United States. Paired with ERC’s advocacy efforts, BETR will bring attention to this pervasive issue and offer hope to the millions who are affected.

“We are committed to treating anyone affected by an eating disorder at any stage of the illness, the results of which are seen through the thousands of patients ERC has helped to date,” said Ken Weiner, Eating Recovery Center Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer. “As the leading network of eating disorder treatment centers, BETR is a critical expansion of our work to support patients affected by BED so that they can receive care and discover their path to recovery.”

Data released in October by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that obesity rates in the U.S. are at an all-time high.[1] Obesity is typically associated with high caloric intake, inadequate physical activity, and other controllable behaviors. However, this broadly accepted cultural perspective lacks understanding and empathy for the 2.8 percent of Americans affected by BED, among which only 38 percent seek treatment. Binge eating can lead to negative self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness, but treatment is available to help achieve recovery from this serious mental health disease.

Symptoms of BED can include compulsive overeating, night eating, emotional eating, and/or “food addiction.” However, while weight issues affect the majority of people with BED, not all are overweight.

“People with Binge Eating Disorder have often tried dieting and failed. They can feel frustrated and unable to control their eating, without realizing they have a serious – but treatable – mental health disease,” said Julie Friedman, PhD, Vice President, Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery (BETR). “BETR provides them with effective treatment options which, instead of fad or extreme dieting, medically addresses the underlying cause of their overeating.”

The BETR program offers three levels of treatment to help all affected patients – regardless of age, gender, or stage of the disorder – and works to identify the root cause of BED. This is done through non-diet weight management as well as combining mental health, dietary support and education, exercise/movement, and medical management, rather than just diet and exercise.

BETR is available through a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and/or Intensive Outpatient Program at the following ERC locations: California, The Carolinas, Colorado, Ohio, Texas (Houston and San Antonio) and Washington. ERC, Illinois also offers residential and aftercare treatment, in addition to PHP and IOP. More locations will be announced in 2018.

In line with effective treatment programs for any eating disorder, patients are provided with a customized treatment program and the corresponding level of required care (Residential, PHP or IOP). The level of care will then be adjusted based on the patient’s progress and ongoing treatment plan.

Individuals who identify with any or all of the following statements may benefit from treatment through the BETR program: 

  • I feel out of control around food
  • I often eat until I feel uncomfortable or sick
  • I use food as a comfort
  • I feel addicted to food
  • I have gained more than 15 lbs. in the last 6 months
  • I eat/snack mindlessly throughout the day or during the night
  • I have weight-related medical issues (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, etc.)
  • I have been told to lose weight by my doctor, but I cannot lose weight
  • I need to lose weight before having bariatric surgery or another medical procedure
  • I have regained weight following bariatric surgery

For additional information about ERC’s Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery Program, call (877) 789-5758, email Info(at)EatingRecoveryCenter(dot)com or visit http://www.eatingrecovery.com to speak with a Masters level eating disorder clinician.

About Eating Recovery Center 
Eating Recovery Center (ERC) is the only national, vertically integrated, health care system dedicated to the treatment of serious eating and related disorders at any stage of the illness. ERC offers best-in-class treatment programs for all patients, no matter their age or gender, struggling from: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, eating and weight disorder, unspecified eating disorders, as well as comorbid, co-occurring and dual diagnoses. Led by the world’s leading experts in eating disorder treatment, ERC provides a full spectrum of eating disorder recovery services through an unmatched network of multiple locations across seven states.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db288.htm

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