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LGBTQ Community and Eating Disorders

The numbers concerning LGBTQ youths’ incurrence of eating disorders are alarming. According to Psychology Today, gay and lesbian teens as young as the age of 12 may experience heightened risks of binge-eating and purging than heterosexual youth in the same age group. The report goes on to say that when it comes to eating disorders LGBT men and women are seven times more likely to experience a binge-eating episode and 12 times more likely to purge than their peers among the heterosexual population.

The startling new doesn’t end there. Eating disorders in LGBTQ youth are something that more than half of these teens struggle with, according to a study performed by the Trevor Project Even more alarming is that among those living with LGBT eating disorders, transgender students experience even greater struggles with nearly 71 percent of transgender survey participants reporting being diagnosed with an eating disorder – anorexia nervosa being the most common.

What Does This Mean for the LGBT Community?

The long and short of it is that LGBTQ eating disorders are more common than commonly perceived – and there is a strong need within this community for help in creating positive body image and creating a healthy and accepting recovered self.

The challenges of dealing with eating disorders in the LGBT community is that many people in this community are already struggling with the same types of triggers that often lead to eating disorders, such as:

  • Low self-esteem.
  • Depression.
  • Harassment at school or work.
  • Unhealthy coping techniques.
  • Anxiety.

Some LGBT teens living with eating disorders even feel misunderstood, unloved, or unwanted by their own families. Unfortunately, the high occurrence of eating disorders in members of the LGBT community are not entirely unexpected, especially by people who have been part of the community for years.

Comprehensive Treatment in a Homelike Setting

Fortunately, Clementine offers a unique treatment philosophy that will help those living with LGBT youth eating disorders find healing and acceptance of themselves, in whole. Clementine offers participants the highest level of medical and psychiatric care outside of a hospital. This means the days of LGBTQ and eating disorders being so closely intertwined are numbered as more young people seek treatment and discover their fully recovered selves and begin moving forward with their lives and developing healthy relationships with food.

What Clementine Has to Offer

Clementine is a Monte Nido affiliate specializing in treating and caring for adolescents living with eating disorders. There are four facilities in the following cities, that offer each participant an individualized treatment program based on unique needs, conditions, goals, personalities, and experiences:

  1. Malibu Lake, California
  2. South Miami, Florida
  3. Portland, Oregon
  4. Briarcliff Manor, New York

For those living in the LGBT community, eating disorders can be particularly troubling. The staff at Clementine understands the unique challenges treatment-seekers face and offers a safe, secure home-like setting where you can recover your love of yourself and enjoy the warmth of staff that offers truth without judgment, encourages you to feel your feelings, own your feelings, and then challenges the way you view yourself, your food, and the world around you.

Clementine also offers comprehensive academic and family support, so you can surround yourself with all the love that is available to you. Special care and support we offer may include the following:

  • 24-hour access to nursing care.
  • Individual therapy sessions at least twice weekly.
  • Daily group therapy sessions.
  • Medical education for patients and their families.
  • Mindful movement and exercise classes.
  • Specialized treatment for co-occurring disorders and conditions.
  • Meal plans that offer outstanding nutrition while accommodating personal preferences.
  • Around the clock access to psychiatrists.
  • Family involvement in the treatment process.

Many LGBTQ youths face discrimination, bullying, criticism, and fear in their daily lives. Clementine understands this reality and offers a safe harbor for young women seeking treatment for their eating disorders.

It’s time to get help for your eating disorder and learn to embrace the beautiful young woman you are without worrying about what you think society expects you to be. At Clementine we are committed to helping you find your healthy self, so you can tell your eating disorder self goodbye once and for all.