Eating disorders

Eating disorders affect more than eight million adolescents and adults in the United States. Yet many go undiagnosed because they hide their symptoms. Without proper care, this highly treatable disease can be fatal.

Linden Oaks Behavioral Health is known throughout the Chicago area for its comprehensive eating disorder services. Led by a team of experienced psychiatrists who specialize in eating disorders, we offer the latest techniques to help adults and adolescents age 13 and older who are struggling with eating disorders.

Common eating disorders

  • Anorexia nervosa - the restriction of food resulting in severe weight loss. Although clearly underweight, many people with anorexia still see themselves as overweight.
  • Bulimia nervosa -  a cycle of eating unusually large amounts of food followed by purging behavior. The behavior is usually done secretly and is accompanied by feelings of disgust or shame. People with bulimia usually maintain a normal weight or are slightly overweight.
  • Binge eating disorder - frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food, but without the purging behaviors. People with binge eating disorder often experience guilt or shame about their behavior, and are often overweight or obese. We offer a specialized binge eating track for clients with these issues.
  • Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) - signs of disordered eating are present but the illness does not meet all of the criteria for a specific disorder.

Eating disorders treatment

We offer and refer patients to treatment options at all levels of care including inpatient, residential, and outpatient. We offer inpatient, partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), and psychiatric services/outpatient therapy options. 
During treatment at Linden Oaks, we utilize group therapy, individual/family therapy, nutrition education and exercise counseling to help individuals address complex psychological issues while treating physical and dietary needs.  

We offer specialized eating disorder programming tracks for:

  • Anorexia, bulimia and related eating disorders- our program philosophy is to address underlying psychological issues while providing education on nutrition, medical complications, medication management, and relapse prevention.

Linden Oaks locations