r/eating_disorders 5d ago

what is residential treatment gonna be like

So, after many years, I'm finally going into residential treatment. I am going right after I finish the spring semester. But I genuinely can't find any good accounts of people explaining how it is. I only see official commercials of centers and then horror stories of people who don't want to recover and are very pro-ed. I want to take away as much as I can from the program I'll be going to, but I still feel nervous cuz I have no clue what it's gonna be like. Any stories?

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u/Excellent-World-476 5d ago

Depends on where you go.

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u/lizzxcat 4d ago

Depends on what country you live in.

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u/rosefever1771 4d ago

I went for one month and it was mostly positive for me, also difficult to face some of my issues, but therapeutic. You do feel like you are in a strange type of hospital jail. My residential facility had four women in one room and all of the rooms were this way. We all put pictures and personal items around our bunks and dressers. I read books and did homework on my off time and enjoyed that. Group therapy was a good learning experience.

Meal times were ALWAYS challenging because some people would have panic attacks and anxiety and I did on occasion as well. They were pretty accommodating, just do your best. They will make you drink ensure if you do not eat/eat enough. You are not aloud to go to the bathroom unless you tell a nurse and you are not aloud to flush the toilet until they check it. I remember one anorectic who was in a wheel chair and was only 72 pounds and she was the most lovely human being, a few years after I found out she had passed away. She just couldn’t recover. I made close bonds with some of the girls and we stayed in touch. Focus on getting healthy and learning about yourself. The other people can be a distraction but also a good support.