Like many medical conditions, treatment for an eating disorder is quicker if it's caught earlier.
Northern Health eating disorder clinic team leader Sandi DeWolf said the longer the eating disorder continues untreated, the more ingrained the behaviour becomes and the higher the risk of medical complications.
"The longer that someone has been unwell, the longer it takes to treat," DeWolf said. "The earlier we catch it, the shorter the treatment."
DeWolf and her team - which includes a physician, a nurse, adult and youth therapists and a dietitian - held an open house this week to showcase the services they offer and raise awareness about what can be done to help those dealing with an eating disorder.
The outpatient clinic located at the Nechako Centre on Alward Street, helps children, youth and adults who have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or other types of eating disorders. The clinic gets about 10 to 20 intake requests a month, with therapists working with a case load of between 25 to 30 patients at any given time.
"Eating disorders are a complex mental illness because of the medical complications and side effects that result from the behaviours of the person diagnosed with the mental illness," DeWolf said.
One of the key values that informs treatment for eating disorders is patience. Change doesn't always come easily for those dealing with the illness and the team at the clinic works to help people get to a place where they can begin to get better.
"We try to work with people to increase motivation," DeWolf said. "Lots of people who come to us aren't quite ready to make any behaviour changes and that's OK too - change is not one thing that you have to be willing to do to come here - you just have to be willing to come and receive information."
Reaching out to get help from the clinic can be a difficult first step for many people to take. Asking for assistance is rarely easy and DeWolf said picking up the phone to call the clinic can be scary.
For people who want to get help for their loved ones dealing with an eating disorder, DeWolf said it's important to be supportive, while at the same time withholding any judgment. She said the clinic can provide resources for family and friends seeking to help someone they suspect is dealing with an eating disorder.
"We can walk them through what to do to support them, to be nonjudgmental to say I've noticed, I'm concerned, I'm here to help and I can help you get help when you want to," she said.
For parents of children who may develop an eating disorder, DeWolf said a good first point of contact is a family doctor. She said parents worried about their children's eating habits should keep track of any weight loss so they can provide that information to the medical team.
"Sometimes [a person with an eating disorder] will do all kinds of things to hide how much weight they are losing and if you don't have any idea how much weight they've lost in a certain time period it can be challenging for professionals then to come in and help out," she said.
The eating disorder clinic accepts self-referrals as well recommendations from physicians.
Once someone accesses the clinic, they have an intake interview with a nurse to ensure they're a fit with the program and then they have a meeting with the entire interdisciplinary team to collaboratively develop a treatment plan.
DeWolf said that often includes regular sessions with a therapist and meetings with the physician as needed. Sometimes people aren't ready to sit down with the dietitian right away, while others seek out the dietitian quickly for advice.
"We treatment match depending on what they're willing to do at the moment," she said.
The clinic is open on Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by calling 250-565-7479.
