Can I Stay in College While Getting Eating Disorder Treatment?
College comes with a lot of change. New schedules, dining halls, roommates, academic pressure, social expectations, and more independence.
If you are also struggling with an eating disorder, or noticing that food, exercise, or body image is taking up more of your time and energy, keeping up with everything can start to feel harder.
You may know you need support but hesitate to reach out because of one big question:
If I get eating disorder treatment, what happens to college?
Treatment does not have to be one-size-fits-all.
If you’re a parent or family member concerned about a college student, this article can be helpful for you, too, as you consider what support might look like while they’re in school.
At Reasons Eating Disorder Center, we want to understand your life, your goals, and what matters to you. Our virtual Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs provide structured eating disorder treatment from home, with a team that works collaboratively with you while prioritizing your safety and clinical needs.
You do not need to have the logistics figured out before you call. That is part of what we can help with.
How Do I Know If I Need More Support?
You do not need to diagnose yourself or wait until you feel “sick enough” to ask for help.
If you are wondering whether it might be time to talk with someone, ask yourself:
- Are thoughts about food, weight, exercise, or your body taking up a lot of your mental energy?
- Are you regularly eating less than your body needs, feeling out of control around food or eating until you are uncomfortably full, or trying to make up for what you ate afterward?
- Do sensory sensitivities, fear of choking or vomiting, low interest in food, or a limited range of foods make eating difficult?
- Is eating becoming difficult to manage around classes, the dining hall, roommates, work, or your social life?
- Do you feel like you have to exercise, even when you are tired, injured, busy, or do not really want to?
- Are food or body concerns affecting your concentration, mood, relationships, academics, or ability to enjoy college?
- Have friends, family members, or a healthcare provider expressed concern?
- Do you find yourself thinking you are “not sick enough” to need help, even though you know something is not working?
If any of these sound familiar, or you simply feel like you could use more support, it is worth having a conversation.
An assessment is just a place to start. It is an opportunity to talk about what has been going on, ask questions, and learn about your options. You do not need to know your diagnosis or what level of care you need before reaching out.
College Can Make Eating Disorder Behaviors Easy to Miss
College life can make it easy to overlook eating patterns and behaviors that may be signs you need more support.
Maybe you grab coffee instead of breakfast because you are running late, or your class schedule makes it hard to eat consistently throughout the day. You might feel out of control around food after a long or stressful day, eat alone or in secret, or rely on a small number of foods that feel safe and manageable. Dining halls can also feel overwhelming because of the smells, textures, choices, or experience of eating around other people.
When everyone around you seems busy and stressed, it can be hard to recognize when these experiences are beginning to affect your health, relationships, academics, or ability to enjoy college.
There is no one “look” for an eating disorder. You can live in a larger body and struggle with restriction, or live in a smaller body and struggle with binge eating. Eating disorders affect people across all body sizes, and you do not have to look a certain way for what you are experiencing to deserve support.
Can I Go to College While in Eating Disorder Treatment?
For many students, one of the biggest worries about reaching out is that someone will immediately tell them they have to give up school.
That is not how we want the conversation to begin.
At Reasons, we start by getting to know you. What does your schedule look like? What responsibilities do you have? What matters to you? What are you worried about? What support do you have around you?
Then we explore what treatment can look like together.
There is no single formula for balancing college and eating disorder treatment. We want to understand your priorities and work with you to explore a plan that supports your recovery while prioritizing your safety and clinical needs.
What Does Virtual PHP and IOP Look Like at Reasons?
Not all virtual eating disorder treatment programs are the same. At Reasons, virtual PHP and IOP provide the structure and support of a higher level of care while allowing you to participate from your own environment.
Our virtual programs are available while you are located in California. This may also be an option for college students who attend school outside of California but return home to California during breaks or other periods away from school.
Depending on your individual needs, your treatment experience at Reasons may include:
- One-on-one therapy with a therapist who gets to know you and your goals
- Individual nutrition support that works with your real life
- Psychiatry and medication support when needed
- Supported meals and snacks to practice in real time
- Therapy, process, and skills groups where you can connect with others
- Yoga, art, and other experiential therapies to connect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and express what is hard to put into words
- Real-life practice around the situations that matter to you, with family and support people involved when helpful
We also understand that eating disorders do not always happen on their own. Treatment can address co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, substance use, and other challenges alongside your eating disorder.
One of the benefits of virtual treatment is being able to practice recovery where your life is actually happening.
For a college student, that might mean navigating the dining hall, grocery shopping on a budget, figuring out how to nourish yourself in a dorm room, eating with roommates or friends, expanding foods that feel manageable, or building a routine around a busy class schedule.
You are not just talking about how recovery might work in the future. You are practicing it in your actual life with support along the way.
Let’s Figure Out What Works for You
Tell us about your classes, your job, athletics, family responsibilities, and what you are worried about losing by starting treatment. These things matter.
Our team will work with you to explore treatment options, schedules, supports, and college accommodations that may help make treatment possible while prioritizing your safety and clinical needs.
You do not have to figure it all out before reaching out. A conversation with our team can help you understand your options and what next steps might look like.
A Note for Parents
If you are concerned about your college student’s eating, exercise patterns, mental health, or overall well-being, you can reach out to Reasons directly. Your child, even if they are an adult, does not need to be the one to make the first call.
You do not need to know whether they have an eating disorder or what level of support they may need. Our team can listen to what you are noticing, answer questions, and help you better understand potential next steps.
At Reasons, we consider the whole person, including their health, education, relationships, independence, responsibilities, and goals. When treatment is appropriate, we work collaboratively with students and families to explore options that support recovery while considering the realities of college life.
Have concerns or questions about your college student? Call our Admissions Team at 844-573-2766 or fill out our short online form to connect with our team.
You Can Reach Out Before You Know What You Need
You do not need to wait for a crisis. You do not need to be certain you have an eating disorder. And you do not need to know what level of care is right for you before you call.
At Reasons Eating Disorder Center, we offer a full continuum of specialized eating disorder treatment, including inpatient and residential care for individuals coming from across the country, as well as virtual PHP and IOP for those located in California while participating in treatment. Our team can help you understand your options and explore the level of support that best fits your clinical needs.
Come to us with your questions, concerns, schedule, and goals. We’ll meet you there and work with you to explore a path forward that supports your recovery, your safety, and the life you’re building.
Ready to learn more — or just have questions?
Connect with the Reasons Admissions Team to talk about what’s going on, learn about your options, and explore what support might look like for you or someone you care about.
