Provider Partners: When to Refer an Eating Disorder Patient

We genuinely value our clinical community and believe that together we can empower those in our care to reach recovery, reclaim their lives, and achieve optimal health.

Our admissions process is thoughtfully designed with this in mind and therefore is a collaborative engagement between referring providers, the Thrive team, patients, and their loved ones. We recognize that your insight and involvement are invaluable in paving a successful path to healing. Information exchange and comprehensive assessment are essential elements of the admissions process, which help paint a panoramic picture of the patient’s experience and curate individualized treatment plans for whole-person healing and lasting recovery.

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Those struggling with eating disorders often do so in silence due to fear and feelings of embarrassment and shame, which can prevent them from seeking the support they need to get well. If left untreated, an eating disorder can be fatal. In fact, eating disorders are the second deadliest of all mental health disorders.

While the statistics surrounding eating disorders are scary, holistic healing and lasting recovery are entirely possible.

If a patient of yours is experiencing or exhibiting any of the following symptoms, we encourage you to reach out to Thrive Wellness to explore our higher level of care programs.

Common Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

Weight at or below 85% of ideal for age, height, and build
A significant or dramatic decrease in the standard growth chart curve for weight, height, and build
Obsessive or excessive exercise
Sudden or intense preoccupation with “healthy” or restrictive eating, dieting, vegetarianism, veganism
Fatigue, cold intolerance, dizziness, and/or hair loss or thinning
Abnormal or absent menses
Bradycardia and/or orthostasis
Cycles of binging and purging while remaining underweight

*Important note: patients with anorexia nervosa will often present with normal vitals and labs.

Common Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa

Binging and/or purging more than once per week
Engaging in compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain, which can include self-induced vomiting, fasting, chewing and spitting of food, exercise, use of diet pills, abuse of laxatives or diuretics, and misuse of insulin
Low normal to abnormal labs, which can include electrolyte abnormalities
Bradycardia and/or orthostasis

*Important note: patients with bulimia nervosa often deny physical symptoms and are of average or above-average weight.

Common Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

BED is characterized by binging at least once a week for three months in combination with feelings of distress and lack of control, as well as three or more of the following behaviors:

Eating large quantities of food, even if not hungry
Eating more rapidly than usual
Feeling uncomfortably full after eating
Eating secretively due to feelings of embarrassment
Experiencing shame, disgust, or guilt after or between binges

Additional Concerns to Consider

The patient is not progressing as anticipated despite outpatient therapy
The individual requires supervision, structure, and support to gain weight or discontinue eating disorder behaviors

What you can expect when partnering with Thrive

At Thrive Wellness, we aim to form and foster an impactful alliance with professional partners throughout a patient’s journey to healing. From first contact, until an individual reaches recovery, we encourage continuous communication and collaboration to promote the patient’s progress and nurture entire well-being.

Our multidisciplinary team of eating disorder experts includes therapists, dietitians, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, mindful movement specialists, and more. We work hand-in-hand to provide integrated, evidence-based care with compassion and respect for every individual. Along the way, our team will provide you with the education and expertise to support the patient’s recovery from all angles. Upon completion of the program, we will consult with you to feel confident and capable of caring for them into the future.