Co-Occurring Treatments

It is very common for a person with an eating disorder or psychiatric disorder to have other problems that require our attention. Many of our patients suffer from other problems that have to be treated at the same time.

For example, patients with eating disorders often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Some have obsessive-compulsive disorders or practice self-harming behavior, such as cutting or burning themselves.

Drug or alcohol addiction is also common among those with other disorders. Programs in New York City that work with people with serious mental illness are reporting co-occurring substance abuse in up to 80% of patients.

The healthcare industry refers to those who have a psychiatric disorder with an addiction as having a "dual diagnosis." This term is sometimes used to generally describe other co-occurring disorders as well.

When patients are admitted, the treatment team meets to develop and implement a multidisciplinary treatment plan that is frequently reviewed and revised according to the patient's response to treatment.

It is important that all medical and psychiatric issues be identified and treated concurrently. When patient care focuses on just one disorder and fails to deal with issues that led to the disorder, the patient may develop another disorder as a substitute. When co-occurring disorders exist, unless they are treated simultaneously, one disorder may worsen as the other improves.

It takes an integrated model of care to treat co-occurring disorders successfully.