How IOP can be Helpful to College Students

Contributor: Leigh Bell, BA, writer for A Center for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are anything but convenient. They distract, unearth, and even destroy entire lives. But treatment for eating disorders has also historically been disruptive, mostly because it was inpatient. You had to uproot your life to spend weeks or months in a residential center.

This is extremely difficult and daunting for college students. In fact, it’s one reason some students with eating disorders avoid treatment altogether. Thankfully, a growing number of treatment centers offer intensive outpatient treatment or IOP program, an approach developed in 1985 at The Toronto Hospital¹. IOP plans vary because they are normally groomed to the individual needs, responsibilities, and schedules of each client.

How Long Does IOP Last?

In general, an IOP offers treatment from 3-7 days a week for roughly 3-4 hours. This time usually includes group and individual therapy, therapist-supported meals, family/couple sessions, and experiential groups like art therapy, yoga, etc. These programs also include regular meetings with the dietitian, and if needed, some centers offer nearby or on-campus independent living.

The duration of IOP obviously vary for each individual, but the average stay is 4-8 weeks.

The Benefits of IOP

IOP programs provide college students the opportunity to receive a higher level of treatment from an eating disorder without leaving school altogether. Students can make their class schedule based on treatment needs, and treatment centers are normally pretty flexible with their IOP schedules. For example, one day you might come to treatment in the morning because you have an afternoon class and the next day have an opposite schedule. The point is you’re there.

IOPs also offer an unique opportunity to apply in real life the recovery skills taught in treatment. If people stumble, maybe restricting breakfast or purging after a meal, they can immediately process the setback when they come to treatment that day or the following one.

This creates a rapid analysis of each setback, when the feelings are fresh, rather than waiting for a weekly or bi-weekly therapy appointment. The result may create stronger and more effective recovery tactics. Students in the high-pressure world of university, where triggers and red flags can abound, could especially use the daily treatment connection.

Research Studies on the Effectiveness of IOP

IOPs are fairly new in the whole scheme of things, and there’s little research the program’s effectiveness. One study surveyed a patient group before and after 5 months of treatment in an IOP program, and following treatment, found meaningful improvements in eating disorder pathology, like how participants felt about their bodies². Participants, except those with restrictive-type anorexia, reported large improvements in overall psychological functioning, according to the study.

IOPs are also a cost-effective option, which is crucial when college students – or their parents – are shouldering tuition costs. Now, some insurance does cover IOPs, but it’s not uncommon for an insurance plan to end coverage before someone is prepared to leave treatment.

Residential treatment, which includes 24-hour care and observation, costs about $30,000, and insurance may cover all, some, or none of the bill³. Intensive outpatient costs are roughly $10,000 a month⁴. This difference is enormous when paying for treatment out of pocket, as too many are forced to do.

Colleges and universities have taken steps to address eating disorders among students by offering access to mental health professionals, specialized treatment programs, educational programs, and peer support groups.

Locate Student Services

The Requirements of Choosing IOP for Treatment

While IOPs are a helpful option for college students, the programs do require individuals to be both medically and emotionally stable. Program participants should also have motivation to recover and some level of control over their eating disorder. IOP treatment is less effective when participant don’t regularly practice recovery outside of the treatment setting.

Sure, there will be stumbles, but someone should be able to mostly abstain from purging, bingeing, and/or restricting. If someone can’t, residential treatment, where 24-hour support is available, may be a better option. This wouldn’t be the end of the world. Most colleges and universities allow students to take a medical leave of absence for an allotted amount of time.

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

What has been your experience with college and IOPs? What advice do you have to share?

About the Author:

Leigh Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Creative Writing and French from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

She is a published author, journalist with 15 years of experience, and a recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. Leigh is recovered from a near-fatal, decade-long battle with anorexia and the mother of three young, rambunctious children.

References:

1. Garner, D., & Garfinkel, P. (1997). Handbook of treatment for eating disorders (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
2. Exterkate, C., Vriesendorp, P., & Jong, C. (2009). Body attitudes in patients with eating disorders at presentation and completion of intensive outpatient day treatment. Eating Behaviors, 10(1), 16-21.
3. Frisch, M., Herzog, D., Franko, D. (2006). Residential treatment for eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39(5), 434-42.
4. Using Healthsmart for Eating Disorder Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2015, from http://www.psychguides.com/guides/using-healthsmart-for-eating-disorder-treatment.

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on August 8th, 2015
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com