HEALTH CARE New Conroe facility helps treat the gradual rise in eating disorders
EATING DISORDERS ON THE RISE According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the number of eating disorder visits monthly to hospitals for patients ages 12 to 17 doubled since the pandemic.
Nationwide eating disorder monthly visits to hospitals
pre–COVID-19 (January 2018–March 2020) post-COVID-19 onset (April 2020–June 2022)
KEY:
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
not eating becomes a distraction from painful or uncomfortable emotions.” A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people visiting an emergency center for an eating dis- order each month was increasing by 1.5 visits per month. In the rst year after the onset of the pandemic, visits increased by 12.9. The study found hospitalizations are still not back to prepandemic levels. “The isolation, the uncertainty, it all led to an increase,” Quintana said. Residents of Monte Nido have on-site access to a psychiatrist, therapist, dietitian and chef. “It is one step down from an in-pa- tient hospital,” she said. “We have the medical component, but we try to make it feel more like home.” Day-to-day operations include requiring clients to eat at least six
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Alison Quintana, clinical director of Monte Nido Houston, said the rate of people hospitalized due to an eating disorder has doubled. As such, Monte Nido Houston, a residential treatment facility with 16 beds, opened in Conroe in early April. Located at 15252 Saddlewood Drive, the new center is located next door to Clementine Houston, a treatment center for teens and children. Quintana said an eating disorder can look like an intense preoccupa- tion with food, whether it be over- eating, not eating enough, purging or restricting intake. “The main red ag is that the person is very obsessive,” she said. “However, it’s not about the food. It seems like it is, but food is used to regulate one’s emotions. That preoc- cupation with what they are eating or
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1,566
1,039
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Age at admission
SOURCE: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS COMMUNITY IMPACT
times a day and help prepare meals as a way to heal a patient’s relationship with food. Quintana said one factor that sets the facility apart is the trauma-in- formed care o ered. “Reaching out for help doesn’t mean that you need to automatically
come to a place like this,” she said. “Just reach out, have a conversation, and try not to feel a sense of shame. This is something a lot of people struggle with, and usually they struggle in silence. The more we can normalize it and the more people can get the care they need.”
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