The first point of contact for sufferers of an eating disorder are family doctors or pediatricians, psychotherapists or an ambulance specialized in eating disorders. A counseling center with experience in consulting people with eating disorders can be a low-threshold alternative.
After the diagnosis, the treatment of eating disorders can be carried out on an outpatient, day clinic (partial inpatient basis) or fully inpatient basis.
Which setting is appropriate depends on numerous factors, such as the severity of the eating disorder, concomitant diseases, the regional treatment range as well as the living conditions and the preference of the person concerned.
The person concerned remains in the familiar home environment and goes to the agreed appointments with a psychotherapist and a physician for a physical examination.
If there is a high level of physical risk, if there are other serious psychological disorders or if no improvement has been achieved with outpatient therapy for months, an inpatient treatment setting is recommended.
An inpatient treatment setting is possible on a full or partial inpatient basis, i.e. in a day clinic.
