Eating disorders can become disruptive and even dangerous without treatment. While some people require more intensive care, New Directions Mental Health can help clients uncover what’s driving their disordered eating and build effective, sustainable strategies for developing a healthier relationship with food.
Call 724.374.7414 to schedule your first appointment and begin working toward better mental health. Our therapists and psychiatrists in Pittsburgh, Meadowlands, Wexford, and across Pennsylvania can support meaningful progress, with referrals available if a higher level of care is needed.
Note that New Directions Mental Health does not offer inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment for eating disorders. When that level of care is appropriate, we provide referrals while continuing to support you through medication and talk therapy as needed.
From Our Clients
“During this challenging time they are a wonderful team comprised of caring therapists and prescribers who are able to help those in need.” – Lisa
Recognizing the Signs of an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders most commonly develop between ages 12 and 25,¹ making it especially important to know the warning signs for teens and adolescents. While girls are statistically more likely to develop an eating disorder, people of any age or gender can be affected.
Signs of eating disorders can also vary by gender. In boys, eating disorders can be harder to detect and may show up more through compulsive exercise or strict “clean eating” than obvious food restriction habits.²
Signs of eating disorders to watch for include:
- Preoccupation with calorie counting, weight loss, or dieting
- Eliminating entire food groups or avoiding foods based on calorie content
- Making excuses to skip meals or avoid food-related situations
- Ritualistic eating behaviors, such as eating in a specific order, rearranging food, or excessive chewing
- Frequent body checking in mirrors, often fixated on perceived flaws
- Noticeable weight fluctuations, either up or down
Are You or a Loved One Struggling with Disordered Eating? We're Here to Help
Our compassionate clinicians across Pennsylvania can walk you through what a personalized care plan could look like.
Note that New Directions Mental Health does not provide inpatient or intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment. When that’s needed, we offer referrals while continuing care through medication and talk therapy.
Types of Eating Disorders
Many eating disorders are rooted in a deeply negative self-image, leading someone to restrict food to the point their body lacks the nutrients and vitamins it needs. Others experience the opposite pattern, regularly binge eating. In either case, food often becomes a way to exert control amid a broader sense of powerlessness.
Common eating disorders include:
- Anorexia nervosa: Extreme food restriction driven by intense fear of gaining weight, often resulting in significant weight loss.
- Bulimia nervosa: Cycles of binge eating followed by purging, sometimes combined with restrictive eating.
- Binge-eating disorder: Repeated episodes of eating beyond the point of comfort, often accompanied by a loss of control and feelings of shame or secrecy.
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Trouble meeting nutritional needs for reasons other than fear of weight gain, often connected to sensory sensitivities or physical challenges around eating.
What Contributes to Developing an Eating Disorder?
The exact causes of eating disorders aren’t fully understood, but experts believe genetics, biology, and stress typically interact. Disordered eating often emerges during the teen and young adult years, alongside rising life stressors.
Contributing factors to developing an eating disorder include:³⁴
- Genetics: A family history of eating disorders raises personal risk.
- Biology: Differences in brain chemistry may play a contributing role.
- Co-occurring conditions: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OCD are all linked to elevated possibility.
- Stressful life events: Major transitions like moving, starting college, or relationship and family difficulties can act as triggers.
- Dieting history: A pattern of frequent or repeated dieting increases the likelihood of developing disordered eating.
- Bullying: There’s a high correlation between bullying and developing an eating disorder.
- Weight stigma & societal message: The pervasive cultural norm of skinny being “better” can be a contributing factor.
Treatment Options for Eating Disorders
When an eating disorder has significantly affected physical health, more intensive treatment, such as inpatient or intensive outpatient care, may be necessary to restore safety and rebuild a healthy relationship with food. Beyond that level of care, ongoing therapy and, when appropriate, medication can meaningfully support day-to-day recovery.
New Directions Mental Health offers a collaborative approach built around therapy and medication as needed, in addition to supporting other lifestyle changes.
Note: We don’t offer inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment directly, but we’re glad to connect you with the right resources while continuing support through therapy and medication.
Therapy
Therapy modalities like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help build awareness of the thought patterns underlying disordered eating and support meaningful shifts in both thinking and behavior. Group therapy also plays a valuable role, offering connection with others working through similar experiences and reducing shame and stigma that some people might feel around their eating habits and beliefs.
Medication
Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications can ease distress that can contribute to disordered eating, particularly for those who are also managing depression or anxiety.
Inpatient & Intensive Outpatient Care
While New Directions Mental Health offers therapy and medication support, our clinics do not provide intensive eating disorder treatments. For those facing serious health impacts from malnutrition, a doctor may recommend an inpatient stay to restore physical safety.
Intensive outpatient programs provide similar structured support for those who can remain safely at home, often serving as a step down from inpatient care. Specialized eating disorder centers typically combine supervised meals, nutrition planning, and therapy or psychiatric support.
What’s the Outlook for Eating Disorder Recovery?
Recovery is achievable with the right support, though the process can take a long time. Many people spend months or years in recovery, and some experience lasting physical effects from prior malnutrition. Getting help early, for yourself or a teen, significantly improves the odds of avoiding long-term complications.⁵
Continued therapeutic support is often valuable long after “baseline” recovery, helping people continue to rebuild their relationship with food and self-image.⁵
Why Choose New Directions Mental Health for Eating Disorder Treatment
Our clinicians across Pennsylvania are dedicated to helping clients heal their relationship with food through supportive, empathetic therapy, and medication when necessary. Our providers work together to create comprehensive care plans for each client, collaborating to ensure all your concerns are addressed.
Support from our team can help build:
- Greater awareness of unhelpful thought patterns tied to disordered eating
- Improved ability to manage anxiety related to food, body image, and appearance
- Better physical health
- More balanced, sustainable eating habits
- Stronger relationships with family and friends
- A healthier sense of body image
Find Eating Disorder Support With New Directions Mental Health
We’re committed to supporting the mental health of individuals and families in Pittsburgh, Monroeville, Wexford, and across Pennsylvania, regardless of age or background. While we don’t offer inpatient care directly, our therapists and psychiatrists can support your recovery journey and refer you for more intensive care if needed.
Call 724.374.7414 or fill out a quick form to learn how we can support your path forward.
FAQs About Eating Disorder Treatment
It can be difficult to tell if someone has an eating disorder, and behaviors are often quite hidden. Beyond noticeable weight changes, warning signs can include avoiding food-related activities, frequent body checking in the mirror, eliminating entire food groups, and a growing focus on calories, exercise, or dieting.
CBT is widely regarded as one of the most effective approaches, helping people understand how their thinking influences behavior and how to shift both. Individual and group therapy can both be highly effective.
Anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder are the most common eating disorders. Anorexia involves severe restriction, bulimia concerns cycles of bingeing and purging, and binge-eating disorder involves recurring binges without purging.
Major life changes and periods of stress are common triggers, including a new job, relationship or family strain, or a move. Criticism about appearance, bullying, and social media pressure can also contribute for some people.
If outpatient care alone isn’t enough to support safe eating or weight, inpatient treatment at a hospital or specialized facility may be needed. A doctor or mental health professional can help determine the right level of care. Acting promptly matters, since complications can become medically serious the longer an eating disorder goes on.
Eating Disorder Insights
To learn more about eating disorders and treatment options, check out these blogs.
Sources:
- Who Is Most Likely to Develop an Eating Disorder? (2026). Science Insights. https://scienceinsights.org/who-is-most-likely-to-develop-an-eating-disorder/
- How to spot eating disorders in boys. (2025). UCLA Health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/how-spot-eating-disorders-boys
- Eating Disorders. (2023). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603
- Causes & Risk Factors of Eating Disorders. (2026). National Eating Disorders Association. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/risk-factors/
- Recovery from an Eating Disorder. (2026). National Eating Disorders Association. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/recovery-from-an-eating-disorder/