Johns Hopkins Hospital is located in Baltimore, MD, outside of Washington DC. They have an inpatient unit as well as a day hospital program (PHP), and are able to treat co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
I am writing as a parent that struggled trying to help his daughter recover from an eating disorder. I am a medical professional, and I tried all the avenues over the last year to help my daughter. Virtual programs were failure experiences. With my access to medical experts, I was advised that the eating disorder program at Johns Hopkins is one of the best. Dr. G***** and her team have made significant research and contributions to the eating disorder field nationwide. I talked to Dr. G***** a few times and she was honest in her opinion. We waited for a bed to be available. I knew the discipline of the program would be difficult for my daughter, particularly the first few weeks. The program takes a multidisciplinary approach. The team listens but applies firm rules trying to change behaviors that have existed for years. You need to be ready as a parent to go through everything, slow progress, occasional daughter complaints and setbacks. During all, the team provided needed support. After three weeks, we started to see progress both in weight and the way our daughter talks about the issue of eating disorders. My daughter and us were determined to continue until she reached her goal of weight restoration. After 8 weeks, my daughter went to the day program where rehabilitation into normal activities is supported. My daughter now will resume her college studies and continue in an outpatient program. This program is highly credible and cares for the outcome and success of their patients. I am glad we stayed the course. I highly recommend this program for parents that are struggling to find the best care for an eating disorder of a loved one. It is a long process for recovery, but you would appreciate the expertise of the JH team
I second this. The doctors that lead the program Dr. G and Dr. R are nothing short of amazing. I was a patient many years ago. It’s the only place I’ve ever been and the only place I’d ever go. I was in college my first admission and my parents also struggled to find the best place. I’m so glad they found Hopkins. The program and the staff saved my life several times. It’s been over 10 years since the last time I was there and I have reached full recovery. Now I’m married with a family. Good luck to your daughter.
Thank you for sharing this! There isn’t much information out there about this program, so this is very appreciated. Some further questions about JH, if you are up for it:
* How many ED patients are there at a time?
* Is it currently a mixed unit (both ED and non-ED patients) or an ED-specific unit (only ED patients)? Are adolescents and adults combined, or separate?
* What kinds of group therapy do they offer?
* Is it standard that patients stay until they fully weight restore, or does it vary depending on the patient?
* What did your daughter like most about the program? What did she like least about the program?
* Does she have any advice for new patients who will be admitting soon?
Thank you!
TW weight talk
Hi, I’m looking for inpatient eating disorder recovery near me that takes my insurance and John Hopkins and Sheppard Pratt are kind of the only ones. I’ve seen horrible reviews for both of them but I thought I’d ask for anyone willing to answer about how the adolescent eating disorder program at Hopkins is. I’m 16 years old and severely underweight from anorexia, I’ve just recently started passing out pretty often and I’m realizing I need help. I have some questions about this program based on my own thoughts and after reading reviews..
Are staff nice? – I do not respond well to harsh treatment and I need a gentle approach, though I understand strictness.
do you really get punished for not finishing meals? – I do not think I will be able to finish meals at the start of treatment from fear and how my stomach will react to normal amounts of food.
what are the rooms like?
do they watch you shower and use the toilet?
when can parents/siblings visit in person?
can your guardians pull you out of treatment whenever or are there legal things that they can keep you there for?
can they move you to a psych ward for having scars?
are there any other good inpatient recovery places near areas like John Hopkins in the state of Maryland that anyone could recommend?
I’m sorry if these are stupid questions, I really need help but I cannot find any good places.
Hi there, I’m a random mom who doesn’t know you but I wanted to get on here and say, “I am proud of you for seeking support.” You are brave and you will find a different path for your health and all that will be amazing. I want you to think about letting go a little bit while you apply extra patience with yourself in this. Phone? Visitors? It’s all going to be new and maybe uncomfortable a bit; however, you focus on yourself, recovery, and peacefulness and you will do great! Virtual hugs to you!
I’m so glad you posted! I wish more young people posted on EDTR, and I’m grateful to have you here. Do you mind if I cross-post this to the general forum? Since you are deciding between more than one program, it’s fine to post both here on the Johns Hopkins page and on the general discussion page, and you’ll probably get more replies on the general page.
Hi! Kudos to you for seeking help! I have never been to Johns Hopkins, but I have been to Sheppard Pratt, so if you want, I can answers your questions for Sheppard Pratt! (I was there in 2021 though, so idk how much things have changed). Also, I have been to Reflections at Dominion Hospital, which is sorta near Baltimore. It’s a psych hospital in NOVA/DC area. They have an adolescent ED unit, as well as an adult ED unit. If you want, I can answer any questions you have about Reflections as well! Good luck on your recovery journey! I’m rooting for you!
I’m pretty familiar with most of the ED programs in MD/DC/VA as I live in the area, and Other Ed programs in Maryland and VA/DC area are- ERC has a PHP in Baltimore, and there is an IOP and PHP program called Prosperity in NOVA, which I went to years ago (so it may be different now), but I had a really good experience there! And Reflections at Dominion Hospital has PHP as well as inpatient! Center for Discovery has an adolescent residential facility In NOVA, and there is also an adolescent residential facility called Clementine (that belongs to the Monte Nido family) in NOVA as well! I have heard good things about Clementine from some of the teenagers I met at Reflections! And there is Aster Springs residential in Richmond, but I think they only accept adults? But I could be wrong?
Does anyone have a recent review for the hospital-side inpatient adult side of things? I am an older adult (43F) with very low BMI looking for programs that can accept me and where there is perhaps some other older folks as well? ANy feeback would be great!
When I was there, there were many older patients. Maybe in part because they are one of the few programs that accept Medicare.
*TW: low bmi*
Does John Hopkins accept very low bmi along with medical issues?
Yes, they may be the only place that does due to their proximity to the hospital and nurses and doctors on-staff 24/7.
*TW: low bmi, tubes*
depends on how low of a bmi and the nature of the medical issues – they can do simple IVs and have specialists come to see you, but if you need a tube or 24/7 medical monitoring, they will send you to a general medical unit in the hospital until you’re stable enough to come back
My teenage daughter was a patient at the ED Outpatient Clinic and eventually went to the Inpatient Clinic for approximately 6 weeks. Dr ***, Dr. ****, *****, ,and all of the doctors and nurses that we worked with were amazing. They recognized that she had dual diagnosis’ and that the Eating Disorder co-existed with other conditions such as anxiety, ADHD etc. They were able to treat her for everything simultaneously. We are happy to say that she is fully weight restored and in a much better place. The Inpatient experience can be very hard on the patient and loved ones. There were many times where I questioned the very strict rules and high calorie intake requirements. I even thought about pulling her out of the program early at times. However, I am so grateful that we stuck with it and realize that Hopkins are the experts and know what is needed to successfully treat an ED, even if it’s hard to see at the time. She has been discharged for 10 months and doing great. I am so thankful for the program and all of the doctors, nurses and staff. There were a lot of tears of joy on her discharge day and she looks forward to stopping in to visit the staff one day.
***names redacted by admin per site policy
Describe the average day:
on the vegetarian piece – they are very staunchly anti-vegetarian (their philosophy is that vegetarianism is inherently disordered and recovery is impossible being vegetarian) and will only respect it for religious reasons (but even then, will push/force it a lot). It is very unfortunate, but the reality of the program
When I went to this ed clinic up at John Hopkins their were a few things I liked and disliked about the program and, stay I had Rumination syndrome that was treated. Some of the things I didn’t like was even though I was with the other ed patients I was treated like I had an ed which I didn’t like because my condition was a Functional gastrointestinal Disorder. The first week I was there I couldn’t use the bathroom by myself, I had to sit for 13 hours a day hardly standing or walking around. I couldn’t go back to my room. Another thing I didn’t like was if you didn’t finish a meal you got offered an ensure and had to sit for 2 hours if you didn’t drink it. The rules were very strict. Even though I hated staying at this hospital they did help me a lot and, I’m getting better slowly everyday. I of course thanked them. If they weren’t so strict towards everything and, the sitting 13 hours a day rule, I would of stayed and, finished the program.
I’ve just been accepted into John Hopkins inpatient chronic pain/mental health unit. Has anyone been there?
if you’ve been to this program could you answer these questions plz. Thanks so much
I have not been myself, but had a close friend who was there in 2017. They felt that the program was extremely rigid – ie all calories have to be consumed as actual food and in 3 meals a day only. My friend had medically documented issues with her teeth and jaws that made chewing difficult and they were not compassionate or accommodating.
There is no individual therapy and my friend said the groups were mostly handouts given by a BHT.
From everything I’ve read and the clients I’ve known who’ve been there,Hopkins is mostly focused on weight restoration and nothing else.
thank you so so much. I have someone pushing me to go there and I’ve expressed these exact concerns. They seem to be very weight focused and as quickly as possible. Totally think it’s not the place for me. thank you again for the info. so appreciated
Forgot to mention that my friend said they were stuck in a small dirty day room that was shared with non- ED clients who could eat whatever they wanted.
I would go almost anywhere else.
Go to Laureate!!! Saved my life! They have such good therapy groups & they are focused on providing a healing environment where you can always feel free to process whatever you need to in the community & they let you go on outings/have fun as you progress through the program!
How is John Hopkins at treating people with Atypical Anorexia who are overweight? My BMI is in the “obese” category, but I struggle primarily with restricting and only extremely rarely binge. I need a program that is good for people who are overweight who struggle with a restrictive ED and not bingeing. Is John Hopkins good with people with restrictive eating disorders who are overweight, or are they going to push me to lose weight and be fatphobic?
They treat all disorders according to their website, and everyone is at different stages of recovery, and it’s also in a psych unit so it’s not just eating disordered patients though you will eat and sit and be at groups with them. Eating disorder inpatient isn’t just anorexia anymore!
You will only restore weight if it’s needed, but no you don’t have to be underweight for help, it’s a mental illness. I was there with Osfed before !
Any updates on how they handle arfid? The reviews here scare me, but I was considering Hopkins because of the access to the medical care (I am already trying to get into the Hopkins GI clinic), and insurance would cover it. Also, is their inpatient usually short term? I’m hesitant to do full inpatient because of work time off limitations but driving back and forth to iop is also not that feasible.
Idk how Hopkins handles ARFID, sorry. In general, their inpatient is as brief as possible, provided you are stable enough to discharge (largely to their PHP). Just don’t expect any psychiatric care while IP – they are behavioral and firmly believe that refeeding needs to occur before any behavioral health work. I would strongly advise you to have a strong OP program already set up – and to discuss it w/Hopkins before and during your stay – if you don’t want to be there long.
From my understanding, they don’t have a specific protocol for arfid. The policy across the board for everyone is that you have to be able to eat anything and everything they give you, no exceptions.
I’m not sure if there adult programs out there.
Kennedy Krueger has a feeding disorder programs. Sounds like this such program maybe more beneficial for what you are describing. Maybe see if KKI can recommend an adult program.
# 1 I wouldn’t label yourself as a failure. It is a journey… My questions to you would be what type of support are you looking for during meals. The program is meant to provide peer support. That was helpful for me but maybe not everyone. It is very difficult at first to eat everything. The stomach has to stretch back out. As calories increase it is never comfortable but it is the only way to restore weight through eating in a short period of time. In the long run it works. I have been in the program 3 times. Each time it worked well for me. 8 years with ED at bay before my 3rd and final admission. It’s been 10 years now and still doing well.
Are you replying to me? If so, here are my answers:
The type of support I was looking for during meals: I was always a picky eater, but my ARFID manifested in a severe fear of choking and preoccupation with the act of swallowing. So I wasn’t eating enough and I was eating very slowly every day. I made this known to the psychiatrist at the hospital before admission, and they were the ones who diagnosed me with my eating disorder. I was admitted voluntarily.
The program did not provide peer support for me, because as I mentioned, I was not usually in the peer sessions. Those took place while I was being punished. When I managed to make it for the back half of a session, I tried to take the exercises in good faith but they all revolved around treating body dismorphia and the fear of gaining weight or hating one’s looks. I simply don’t fear gaining weight and quite liked the idea of eating more, so these sessions, while nice, were less relevant than I’d hoped. Nobody else at the program was there for ARFID treatment while I was. I tried to ask the doctors if I could be placed in contact with any previous patients, but I was told no. (Makes sense to me — they probably can’t give out that information for privacy reasons).
I spent about nine hours a day trying foods I’d never had before in my life and chewing constantly (I overchewed at the time for fear of swallowing). That was the program for me. I remember being thrilled to finish everything on my plate one time — yay! no ensure! and my calories were increased and I never achieved that goal again. Yes, I am very aware that the refeeding process takes time and is uncomfortable. I also got so full I puked several times. This data did not change my calorie limit, and I never questioned it. I cannot emphasize enough how much trust I put into the program to help me. To give up that much control, there must be trust. However, like I said, after three weeks I had shown no improvement beyond gaining weight. I was not finishing meals or eating quicker.
As for my fellow patients themselves, I loved them all. We all bonded and quickly became a close knit group. We cheered eachother on and offered shoulders to cry on. This is called, in my experience, trauma bonding. I don’t consider it a part of treatment, unless you consider mutual distress and a need for comfort a kind of treatment.
I am glad this program worked for you. It worked well for my fellow tablemates. They all progressed through the program, moving to day program while I stayed stuck on step 1. It did not work for me and it was not designed for me. I hope you can see from my posts that I believe this after giving it a fair shot.
Hi all – I’m commenting from a perspective, specifically, of treating ARFID. I have given this program a lot of grace and qualified almost every critique in countless discussions with friends, peers, and across the internet. I do this to not scare people away from treatment, because sometimes it is life or death. It was for me. I just wish I didn’t have to go through such trauma and misery while trying so hard to recover.
Today I will not be qualifying, hand-waving, or placating. Honestly, I’m a bit scared of being negative towards such a reputable place. But it’s time I discuss what didn’t work, and what needs to change.
Again, I’m talking about ARFID. This program is not compatible with ARFID, despite reassurances that it was.
The program is rigid, highly structured, and punitive in nature. The rules are in place with no wiggle room. Let me give an example:
Until you are following and meeting all rules and expectations to the letter, you MUST eat everything you are given, for each meal, in forty-five minutes. These meals are pre-selected and the portion sizes change to meet your caloric needs. Sounds reasonable, right?
Well, until you have an eating disorder with a very small palate of foods and eat very slowly, like me. Those were my symptoms, which I was trying to get help for. I threw every ounce of effort I could into treatment, because I knew I could die otherwise.
Everything I ate for my stay was completely new to me because of my ARFID. I received no instruction, sympathy, or leeway, of course. And it took me hours, not even finishing what was on my plate, because I was chewing very slowly. Something I wanted help with.
So of course, you can see where I’m going with this. For my entire stay, I was punished all day, every day, because I could not complete “step one.” Which is, of course, eating everything, for every meal in forty-five minutes. So I was punished. Every day. At every meal. And let me tell you, a month of withheld therapy, no way to go outside (no walks for the misbehaving devil!), and even a refusal to let me see fireworks on the fourth of July, does not treat an eating disorder.
I could not attend group sessions, therapy, or any activities, because I was always in the hallway, trying desperately to eat. My meals lasted about three hours, at which point they would have to take it away and replace the remaining calories with ensure. I gave it my all, though. I made progress by trying new foods, one at a time, slowly exposing myself to them. I often had to ask my tablemates to educate me on what I was eating. What’s the dish called? What’s in it? They would find my questions funny but always helped. But they weren’t my team of doctors, who I repeatedly asked for help. None of these strategies came form them. And I never finished a single meal in forty five minutes.
I was so scared of going back, so sure I was the failure and the bad boy, that I refused every follow-up phone call after I left. I couldn’t stand to think about cleaning up my own vomit, sobbing in a hallway, by myself, facing my worst fears alone, while family feud played in the common area.
Do not come to this program for ARFID treatment. Do not trust this place as a correct implementation of exposure therapy. I had to leave for my own safety. Every single fellow patient could tell I wasn’t improving. After I left, it’s funny – I started getting better. With proper help.
That sounds similar to my experience there in 2006 but I had AN, not ARFID. Do they still put people in the “quiet room” if they don’t eat everything?
I was placed in the hallway, not a room. Not sure if it was lack of space or something else, but the miscreants like me were just out in the hall next to a tech who was doing other monitoring work
That sounds like how it was 17 years ago when I was there. I was 14 at the time. They even started watching me at night. “Constant Observation.” They kept me alive, which was seemingly the one benefit. I don’t mean to scare others from going to Hopkins – especially since it’s one of the few remaining places that take Medicaid and Medicare. I think if you are someone who has dealt with anorexia for a very long time and hasn’t tried this program, it’s worth it. They don’t really address the “underlying problems” behind the ED, but there can be some plus sides to that. The director of this program followed me as an outpatient for several years after I left the program, and I will say she is better than the program itself.
Big agree on the “keeping you alive” part. It’s the biggest benefit. I just wish it wasn’t so brutal. It really does feel like the program saws off the whole limb to fight the infection — surely there are better treatements coming, but we just aren’t there yet with mental health research. I wish Hopkins was a bit more responsive to patient feedback in that regard – any critique I had was met with very strong pushback.
Hi, I am wondering if you would look into an ocd/anxiety treatment program, I went to the rogers residential treatment in their ocd program, they do really well with helping reintroducing foods and focusing on the fears. Many other patients had ARFID, Emetiphobia, ocd related food things. Not everyone had OCD, some only had ARFID, some had extreme social anxiety, some had extreme GAD. I was afraid of eating food and drinking water because I was worried my food could be poisoned or spoiled. The treatment is very individualized in that program because everyone’s anxieties are so different. If you need medical stabilization/ weight gain they may have you go to the ED inpatient unit for a few weeks before transferring you to the OCD/anxiety unit. The inpatient unit isn’t wonderful but again it’s highly individualized, they for the most part understood that my ED was OCD related and did exposures around that. Inpatient is also temporary, it just gets you stable for the real work in res or PHP
I really appreciate your reply! Everyone on this forum has been very kind with suggesting alternatives.
When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with GAD, but the techiniques I used to overcome ARFID and my daily anxiety came directly out of the ERP playbook. Self-study has been my primary method for eating disorder treatment, because I’ve had a really hard time trusting medical professionals since I was at Hopkins. Most of the time I’m the one explaining my disorder to therapists, even those that specialize in eating disorders, haha.
I actually suspect I have OCD. Mental health education is so lacking that I didn’t know how to correctly identify obsessions, compulsions, and themes, even with a professional there to assess me, for many many years. I’ve done lots of therapy in my life (DBT is my best friend!), but I’m thinking of finding a practice that specializes in OCD, as my themes do all revolve around automatic human procecees (blinking, breathing, swallowing, hyper-awareness thereof). The eating disorder got all tangled up in there I think. When I explained my hyperawareness and fear of choking to my primary care provider years ago, she shrugged and mentioned that there are cases where people suddenly become paralyzed with fear and can no longer do certain things – I think walking was her example. She didn’t meniton, however, that sensorymoter obsessions are a classic symptom of OCD. I guess we’re both learning.
The john hopkins program was terrible for me. I was the youngest there at the time and nobody cared the first day I got there was at around 10:00am and I crying the whole time I was there. They ended up sending me to a higher up part of hospital care and They didn’t give me any food until 9:00pm. I finally got ok enough to go back to the program. The first week you are there u cannot pick your food. You can only pick your food if you ate all the food the first week you were there. You only get a couple options of food and they just rotate the days of the food. The food is so fucking gross. If you don’t eat the food they make you wait an hour with the food in front of you, your not allowed your phone or anything during this time and after the hour they’ll give you an ensure replacement. Doesn’t matter how gross the food is. One time the chicken came up raw. Another time the chicken was so hard you could not even cut it and someone found a bone in it. While I was there a health inspector came and the week after the main kitchen shut down. You could not pick your food and the staff was so rude about it.most of the technicians there are rude as hell. One of them lied about calling the main nurse when I asked her for an ensure because I cannot eat fish. When my nurse call the main nurse she said I can have the ensure. If you are younger they don’t care about your opinion at all(or at least that’s how I felt) some of the nurses especially the old guy are only nice to the older patients there. If you don’t wake up on time you get your walk taken away. You can not get water if it’s not water break. Which you only get three a day. At snack you only have a small amount of something to drink most of the time. I don’t know how other programs are but in my opinion do not go here. Sorry for any spelling errors I typed this really fast ?.
Has anyone been inpatient at John Hopkins Eating Disorder Program in Maryland? I am looking to possibly go there, as it is one of the few places my Medicare insurance is accepted. I have been to several other programs and not had a good experience with most. Can you please give an honest review…. or also, can I message you to answer some questions I have? Thank you all in advance!!! ❤️
You are welcome to send a list of questions and I will do my best to answer them
Thank you “Ne”.
I’ve read through hundreds of the comments and posts about this location on this page. It seems that most of them are negative……. What is your opinion? Would you recommended JH?
When were you at John Hopkins?
Does everyone have a roommate?
Are you allowed in your room during the day/ or anytime other than to sleep at night and wake up in the morning?
Are you allowed your cell phone and/ or laptop?
Do they make everyone get to their 100% ideal body weight before discharging of stepping down? (For someone coming in at a very low weight, does that mean they will have to stay there longer to gain the full amount? Or would they discharge from IP even if your not quite at 100% IBW?
I read through a lot of reviews and comments about this place, and is it true that if you don’t complete your meal you are sent to the quiet room where you cannot and have to sit with your food for hours! That seems harsh…..
If you do not complete your meals and do not complete the Supplements/Ensures, (or if there’s something that you legitimately do not like the taste of (not bc of ED reasons) Will they eventually just discharge you for non-compliance? Some places would tube you. I read that JH does not use the NG tube. Is that true?
Do you get to pick your food? Are there options to choose from?
For supplementing, is there other options besides Ensure plus? And do they add one on to all 3 meals for weight gain?
I heard several people say that the weight gain rate is extremely fast / high……
I also heard that they can force you to stay and cirt you.
Do you know of any other programs that you think are better / helpful, in which also accept Medicare?
Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Have you looked into Tower Behavioral in Reading PA? The Brandywine eating disorder unit is now at Tower Health in Reading. The doctor there is amazing!!!
Oh, ok I will look that up…. I did not know that Brandywine changed names and locations. I thought they just ended the program. I went to Brandywine ED unit several years back. I Did not have a good experience.
I loved Dr P. Now I know it’s a new team but he is still running the program. So he is mimicking the same approach. They only have 7 people right now but plan to expand once things get up to speed. They opened in July. I know they take Medicare. Definitely give them a call. I have been in touch and on their waitlist.
I haven’t been to Johns Hopkins so I can’t answer the rest of the questions, but there is a Medicare tag on this site where you can see all the programs that take Medicare. Unfortunately it isn’t many but there are a few others to look in to. Sheppard Pratt is also in Baltimore and has good recent reviews, as does Princeton.
What about ED with co-presenting issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc? Anybody have experience to know if these are handled effectively?
This is not a residential program. This program is different from any other program that I have been to in the sense that you never meet with an individual therapist. The program runs similar to an FBT method where the focus is purely on weight restoration and stabilization. There are patients on the unit for a depression program but it is different from the ed program. They did have groups but they weren’t very therapeutic. You meet with your entire team of a doctor, attending, and i believe a nurse every morning and they discuss your progress and changes to your meal plan and goals…..
They will inquire about co-occuring disorders but they do not provide treatment for them other than medications if needed
Any recent reviews like do they accommodate vegans?
they do not accommodate vegans. I think most ED centers don’t accommodate vegans. Some accommodate vegetarians
Alsana accepts vegans.
Hello to Everyone reading this:
I would be so very grateful if anyone would please share their experience with this inpatient program. I am feeling very perturbed about this. I am “on-edge” about the thought to go back to treatment right now. But I know deep down that I need to make this decision to get my life in a better place: plus the fact that my whole team and family and friends are pretty much not giving me the choice about this……. which of corse makes things a lot more multifaceted. Any reviews would be helpful. And maybe I could privately message you. Thank you in advance! ❤️
Sincerely,
Emily
I feel the exact same way about need my life back
I am finally submitting my review of the Johns Hopkins ED program. I will preface this to say that I have been there multiple times over the last 9 years. No two admissions have been the same. With all of my previous admissions I was not there for myself. I was there for every reason but myself. My most recent admission was my choice. I contacted Dr. G and within hours she had reviewed my info and offered me a bed; strongly encouraging me to come in as soon as possible- gave me no time to talk myself out of the admission. I will make a few general statements, and then will give more specific information. I will be basing this on my latest admission in the summer of 2020. Will hit on some of the basics first.
Meals are as has been reported by others. Selection is limited, and it is standard hospital food. Meal plans are based upon the individual needs of each patient. There are multiple meal plans, and they are modified as clinically needed. They generally do not allow dislikes, but will work with people on an individual basis regarding this. I felt very well respected all around in regards to my nutritional needs. Most meals were quite often very disorganized and chaotic, which would create undue stress, anxiety and irritability with everyone, including staff. The pre-meal set up time is prolonged and generally all food was at room temp before even sitting down. No microwaving of cold meals. Meals were timed and loosely supervised. Patients are taken to another spot on the unit for incomplete meals, and eventually provided with supplements for missed food/drinks. Not an unfair practice in my opinion.
NG tubes are not used in this program. They work closely with patients to re-feed using food and supplements.
Moving on to groups. OT groups were very solid and the OT on staff (B) was very attentive to all patient needs. She offered a lot of support and helped to create a safe place for everyone. She respected people’s privacy within the unit, as well as personal boundaries when interacting with them. I experienced her groups to be very goal oriented, which I liked.
There are two afternoon groups that I considered mediocre at best. The MSW’s facilitated the afternoon groups, and I more often than not found myself internally begging for the time to move faster. When the one MSW (J) ran the group I did find it to be a bit more engaging.
There is a goals group in the morning for another set of patients, and we would be encouraged to participate. I generally found something else to do, as I did not find this to be at all therapeutic.
Each patient meets with the treatment team daily for 10-30 plus minutes. It is a time to privately discuss individual concerns, medications, meals/food plan, treatment plans, discharge plans, etc. For the most part I felt to be an active part of my own treatment team.
There is a dietitian on staff, but her involvement with me was extremely limited. Would address individual patients in the day area with all other patients present.
Overall, there is not much in the way of privacy. A lot of personal conversations with staff were in the presence of other patients.
Weights are obtained daily before breakfast. Patients were able to request to know the weight once a week, only after being there for 2 weeks. There was no pressure from staff for us to know our weight. It was just an option for us. The rate of weight gain is quite rapid, but no faster than any other advanced goal-focused treatment program. The goal for most patients is weight restoration so that the treatment goals can shift to maintenance and relapse prevention once goal weight has been reached. For most people, they do not discuss the goal weight. It is on the lower end of the healthy weight range so that was reassuring.
Labs, and other testing, are done frequently in the beginning and as needed from that point forward. I always felt very well taken care of from a medical prospective. They were quick to address medical concerns and would bring in other specialists very quickly as needed.
The admission duration will vary based on the individual needs. It is often something that is not known until well into the process. No way to set a timeline for the treatment. I felt as though they kept me inpatient as long as what was needed with each admission.
They do accept patients of all genders, and ages I have seen ranged from 13 thru 80. Rooms are mostly semi-private, but all were private my last admission due to covid precautions being implemented. Each room has a bathroom just outside the door. The bathrooms are unlocked at all times, but staff must be present with patients from 8a until 9p. There is also a sink and a mirror in each room. The water is on, but will be shut off if needed to help with treatment support.
Electronics were allowed around the clock except at meals and during groups; chargers in a locked closet. I have always observed staff bend over backwards to help accommodate the patients in regards to the electronics, especially when the visitation was suspended due to covid precautions.
Typically they provide daily walks off unit and weekly meal prep in the OT kitchen. These were both suspended when I was last year. They did, however, provide meal preps on the unit as well as supervised walking around the perimeter of the unit. Fair enough.
This is the only program that I trusted to push me into a better place for recovery. I knew it was a difficult, and that was okay. I didn’t want to go and be comfortable and dictate my treatment. True effective treatment is not meant to be easy. I needed to surrender all control and allow the team I most trusted to take good care of me. And, that they did. Dr. G and Dr. R were the two attending psychiatrists I have worked most often with over the years. I needed to allow them to guide my treatment course. I didn’t like it, but I fully trusted them. Again, it’s not easy, pretty, or even comfortable. It isn’t supposed to be. Treatment needs to be difficult and uncomfortable to make genuine progress. I discharged feeling as though I “worked treatment” the way it was intended. They set me up with good aftercare immediately upon discharge.
I felt very supported through my admission and would go back again if ever needed. I have also continued to recommend this program for many people over the years. Am I fully recovered? Heck no, but I am in the best place I have been in for as long as I can remember. The JH team helped me to believe that a full recovery is possible, even if it is a long and hard road to get there.
Thank you so much for this review! I’m desperately seeking treatment options, and your story made me reach out to JH, immediately.
Excellent choice. It’s not an easy program, but statistically the outcomes are good. Best of luck to you!
Thank you! Sadly, I just got word back that they refuse to work with out of state medical assistance, so it’s a no-go.
Hi — thank you for your review! Would I be able to private message you and ask some additional questions about John Hopkins? Thank you!
Thanks so much for this comprehensive review. I am considering inpatient at John Hopkins ED unit and only have Medicare so don’t have many options. Thanks and continued wellness and recovery from your ed.
I can answer any questions if you have them 🙂
Hi, (pls read before making this big decision)
I’ve been dealing with an Ed for a while now and this was my second time in treatment but my first at hopkins program. I wish I had a better experience and I hope that how I was treated and the experience I had there I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. First being a person of color and getting treatment is already a difficult thing but the amount of discrimination I experienced at Meyer4 was disgusting. If you don’t start eating ur meals at the table with others you would get taken away and put in the hallway or quiet room and each time I was the only person who would get put in the quote room. Others would not complete their meals and still get to keep all their stuff and privileges but only mine was taken away. Most of the people who work there have 0 knowledge on eating disorders even the doctors. I got called all kinds of names and insulted and one of the doctor said I was faking my ed. I wasn’t allowed to receive or make calls to anyone I could only accept one phone call from my mom for 2 minutes. I was miserable in there that I regretted going into treatment, I was discharged from the program when I was still in a low place without any heads up whatsoever, on a Monday morning i saw the doctor during the usual rounds and that’s when they told me they are discharging me immediately and that “I’m a waste of a bed another person needs” pls do NOT make the mistake of going there especially if u are a person of color. You are worth recovery in a place where ur gonna feel supported and will succeed.
I am white and I spent my whole first week in the back hallway. Seems to me like there are a lot of factors unrelated to race that play into who ends up there. Anyway, hope you find the right treatment for you.
And that right there is your white privilege. Not you trying to invalidate my experience bcus u also spent ur first week sitting in the hallways. What I experienced had a lot more than just “sitting in the hallways” like u said it also has to do with why which most of the time were unjustified. When I wanted to officially make a statement to patient services about how unfairly I was treated all of a sudden they discharged me for not being “compliant” with treatment and said” I’m wasting a bed another person needs” just to enlighten you of my experience.
Racism in eating disorder treatment is EXTREMELY common – those of us with darker skintones are much less likely than those with lighter skin to be acknowledged in the first place as having an eating disorder, but even once we are, we are often viewed as either “stronger/more resilient” than white people/white-passing people, and therefore less in need of higher levels of care, or as less deserving of HLOC (wasting a bed or a spot someone else needs). If we make it to a higher level of care, if there are any cultural differences whatsoever between how we talk or behave or think or feel or write or struggle, we are much more likely to be told we are resistant, disrespectful, having a tone, being either too visible OR not visible enough – “we need to watch our tone” OR “we need to advocate more for ourselves” – but if we do, “they’ve had enough.” We’re often discharged sooner, and often delay returning to treatment longer later should we need to at any point again, because an eating disorder latches onto any and every reason it comes across for not trying to get better, no matter how little it is – and here we are with way too many big ones.
I went to a virtual BIPOC process group with ERC through their alumni program for awhile, and every single one of those things I mentioned above were said at least once by somebody in the group. Usually once somebody said one of those things, at least one other person said they had thought they were the only one, or they experienced that too and if they ever brought it up in treatment they were shot down (by staff AND by fellow patients). There was also a much higher ratio of people diagnosed with borderline to people not diagnosed with it than I’ve observed in any other larger treatment context.
I would say that I observed these things all the time in treatment, but I can’t because I almost always was the only person of color there in the first place. The one that still haunts me to this day though was my first time inpatient, there was a girl from India, maybe aged 12, whose parents actually had to stay with her in the hospital in order to make sure she was treated with the other patients and received the same treatment as them. She was there maybe 3 nights, before her parents pulled her out because (among other things) she was covered in track marks and bruises due to the fact that she was always given the trainee phlebotomist even though no one else was, and everytime they said something to the staff they were brushed off and told they didn’t understand how American medicine worked, told they could file a complaint once treatment was done, or just straight up ignored completely because their accents were strong and the staff thought it took too long to understand them, so developed a policy where they ought to only speak when spoken to. I can still hear her screams in my head, from the phlebotomist always needing at least 7 attempts at drawing her blood before succeeding.
Hi,
I recently was administratively discharged from residential due to medical instability and inability to complete the prescribed meal plan and hydration plan.
I need a place that can do NG tubes and IV’s if needed.
Does anyone know if Johns Hopkins does that?
Other questions:
Do they allow cellphones and electronics?
Do they have private rooms with hospital beds or is it more like a psych ward bed (non-adjustable)?
Do they do labs everyday?
What is the average length of stay in inpatient?
Thank you!
They do IVs but they do not believe in feeding tubes. None the less, if you are ready to give your Ed a swift kick in the a*$ then it’s a fantastic place. What I really liked about the program is that I felt like I really had the tools i needed to succeed when I was discharged. and 10 years later I’m still doing well.
Can I message you some questions I have?
Hi J! Can you just post your questions here as a reply rather than sending them privately? It makes it much easier to get answers that way. It also lets other people benefit from learning the answers as well.
Also, if you need labs every day they will do them. They will also rule out medical issues if needed. When I was there my labs were drawn every day and I had an iv for a while. The also sent me for a whole bunch of tests and scans to rule out other problems. Saved my life… They do allow cell phones. They have semi-private and private rooms. Most of the time you will have one roommate. The beds are adjustable and pretty comfortable.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for the response. Do they put people on bed rest and cardiac monitors or do they force them to go to groups?
Yes, they will give you a heart monitor if needed. I had one for a while. They will want you to go to groups as soon as possible but may have you in a wheel chair, if you are really weak
Hi again Nicole,
I have severe Gastroparesis and when I called they told me they don’t do NG tubes ever. What happens if you can’t finish the supplement or water/hydration?
Thanks for answering
You have to do your best. Your calorie intake is not a lot in the beginning and it gradually increases. In the beginning usually supplements are only given if you don’t finish your food. It’s not easy but if you trust and believe in the problem they will do everything you need to get better. This program has been around for a long time and I believe it the best program out there. You are right that they do not do tubes. But that doesn’t mean they can’t help you. It’s a different way of thinking and I think that what makes this program more successful than other programs.
Hi
I am admitting here soon and was wondering if someone who has been here could contact me as I have a few questions :).
Thanks!
can you go from their inpatient to a residential elsewhere, since they dont have a residential? Thanks!
Yep! Wherever you go for inpatient, you can always go to residential someplace else. It has actually only recently become more common for treatment centers to have both inpatient and residential at the same place. It used to be standard that you would do inpatient at a different place than where you went to residential.
You will set up your admission to the residential program while you are still inpatient, and then your team at the hospital will coordinate with admissions at your new residential, so you can discharge from inpatient and go straight to residential. You’ll just have to sign an ROI (release of information) to allow the programs to talk to each other, so the inpatient can give your medical chart, progress notes, etc, to the residential. They will also want to minimize the amount of time you spend outside of care in between, so depending on how far away the residential is from your inpatient (e.g. can you get a ride right there, or do you have to fly to another state) you’d either admit to the residential within the hour, later that day, or at most you’d admit the day after discharging from inpatient.
with supplements, do they allow you to supplement with another option besides the traditional supplements (i.e. peanut butter, etc) THANKS for any help!
It’s been a while but in my experience it’s usually traditional supplements. Occasionally it may be something else but not usually.
are binge eating disorder treatment that cost $5000.00 and takes up about 20 hours a week on zoom legit. The don’t care if you are on statins that could cause a stroke and you can’t weigh yourself to see progress and cause much strife with families. and the food they can’t eat aren’t a bit helpful. I believe they don’t want you to weigh yourself because they don’t want you to see that you didn’t lose weight.
I’d say stay away to any diet program online. No matter what they call themselves. That’s an unregulated industry for sure.
How about finding a therapist?
Anyone know the average inpatient length of stay at hopkins?
6-7 weeks
If you are really serious about getting better like I was. The longest out of 3 inpatient stays for me was 4 weeks inpatient and 1 in the day program. That was on weight gain too. Most people take about 2 weeks in the day program. By the way I was admitted several years apart. Now I’m 10 years out and don’t have an eating disorder. Full recovery
Does anyone have any insight on how Hopkins inpatient does with ARFID?
It’s been quite a while since I was there, *** is still the head nurse. She is awesome. Dr. G*** the director and Dr. *** are also awesome. They saved my life.
*names redacted by admin per site policy
I was discharged from Johns Hopkins a week ago and thought I’d come on here to post some things I wish I knew before I went.
1. Since it is a teaching hospital, the doctors switch every 30 days. The rest of the team will stay the same but the resident and attending (who make all the decisions regarding your care) will switch. If you hear something from one doctor at the end of the month, it may change when the new doctor comes in.
2. You are not allowed any dislikes, in fact, if you mention that you dislike something, even if you never liked it long before your eating disorder, be prepared to see in on your tray every day.
3. There are 3 meals and no snacks so that means if you are on a weight restoration meal plan, all your calories are split into 3 meals. At the end of my stay they did add a night snack which took away the ensure from lunch (weight restoration meal plans have an ensure built in to lunch and dinner) and added it to night snack along with whatever snack we were having.
4. The general rule with meals is a follows. All patients begin their meals together and there is 45 min to complete regardless of the size of the meal plan. If you dont start eating within the first 10 minutes or you dont touch the main dish for 10 minutes, you will be brought back to what they call the quiet room. Additionally, if you do not complete on time, you are brought back to the quiet room as well.
The quiet room is a tiny room with nothing but a table and chair, you have to sit with your back against the chair, both feet on the floor and are not allowed to speak or be spoken to. It used to be that you had to sit with your meal for the 45 min that they gave you for the meal plus an hour after end time. During my stay they switched the rule to be that after end time you have to sit with the meal for an additional 2 hours. After 2 hours and 45 min, the main dish will be replaced with the equivalent amount of ensure. Anything that is not included in the main dish will not be replaced and you will have to sit with it until you complete it or until bedtime.
If you are sitting with every meal until they replace you with ensure they will begin replacing food with food instead of ensure.
There is also an order in which you must eat your meal. You must complete the main dish before beginning your fruit, or dessert.
What I found extremely difficult was the size of the meals especially if you are on a weight restoration meal plan and were supplemented for the meal before because you generally only get the supplement an hour before the next meal.
I also had some GI issues and physically could not keep that much food down at one time and would vomit unintentionally but they made me clean my own vomit even though I felt so sick.
5. In the state of Maryland they are able to cert patients for ed. If you are an adult and sign a 72 they will call your parents, outpatient team, basically anyone they can to come testify against you in court and try to prove that you need to be certed.
6. There is no individual therapy or dietitian. You meet with the whole team in rounds and that is your only time to talk about whatever it is you need to discuss.
7. The nurses there are great, they were my biggest support while I was there but the techs are horrible. The techs just sit on their phone all day unless they see something to criticize and there is a lot of inconsistencies among the rules they enforce or even that they believe exist.
Wow. Thank you for sharing this. I’ve thought in the past about going to Johns Hopkins too, since they are one of the few places that takes Medicare… But clearly this is NOT this right program for me. Thank you so much for posting, I know it must have been hard to do so. If I ever need inpatient again I’m definitely going to go out of my way to make sure I go to any of the other Medicare options in the area, Sheppard Pratt, Brandywine, UNC, Princeton, Dominion, NewYork-Presbyterian-Westchester… anywhere
Wow after your review, this program might not be the one for me……although I have not found any places that I like, which also take my insurance (Medicare) …….
River Oaks takes Medicare, you might check them out
Just seconding all of this. I wanted to leave the program after giving it three weeks of solid effort and I was held for 72 hours. It truly felt like I could never leave. You are completely dependent there – no autonomy. Trust the doctors without question, but the doctors will never trust you with your own care.
And yes, they do make you clean your own vomit! Regardless of why you threw up.
When were you there?
April 2021 (still here)
How many patients are there on average?
In the ed program there are 5 currently but I think there are usually up to 10
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
I believe so, there are 3 different programs on the same floor so there are always men and women here
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
You have rounds every day and meet with an attending, resident, medical students since it is a teaching hospital
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
there is one staff watching all ed patients unless a patient is 1:1
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
No actual therapeutic method, you just have to eat, we do have OT groups though
Describe the average day:
5 am wake up, vitals and weights
8 am breakfast
sometime between breakfast and lunch you will have rounds where you speak with your team
goals group
OT group
Lunch
group
free time
group
dinner
free time
What were meals like?
meals are horrible. If you say that you don’t like something be prepared to see it on your tray at every meal.
I made the mistake of telling them my dislikes in hope that they will work with me but thats not how they work.
you have 45 min to eat your meal but if you sit there without eating for 10 min at any point in the meal you get moved to the quiet room which basically means you are removed from the group, you aren’t allowed to talk and have to sit with your food for two hours. After 2 hours they will replace any perishable items for ensure and you have to sit until you finish the ensure and other non replaceable items even if it is all day.
What sorts of food were available or served?
gross hospital food
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
yes as mentioned above
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
You have to sit alone in a room and you aren’t allowed to talk to anyone or have any distractions. You just have to sit and stare at your food all day
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
No
What privileges are allowed?
When you complete all your meals consistently and are on your maintenance meal plan you can start selecting meals
You can have your electronics between all groups and meals
How do you earn privileges?
By eating whatever they place in front of you
What sort of groups do they have?
Groups are really pathetic. They make you go but they literally will put you to sleep, the group leader never has an agenda
What was your favorite group?
none
What did you like the most?
having my phone
What did you like the least?
there is zero flexibility and it feels like they are working against you and not with you
Would you recommend this program?
No!!!!
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
None, if you wave to someone they will consider it exercise
Do you get to know your weight?
After your there for 2 weeks they will tell you on Tuesdays
How fast is the weight gain process?
extremely fast, they say 4 lbs a week but many times its more
What was the average length of stay?
They tell you 18 days when you speak with admissions but it is not true!! people are here for weeks or months
What was the average age range?
At this moment its 13 to 22, depends on the group but most times lots of minors
How do visits/phone calls work?
During covid there are no visitors, you do get your phone all the time tho
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
you can have all day besides meals and groups
Are you able to go out on passes?
no
I really do not recommend this place unless you think that sitting in front of gross hospital food all day every day will help you.
There are other great places that will work with you, this place is not it
Anyone have recent reviews on inpatient eating disorder treatment at Brandywine hospital in PA or John’s Hopkins in MD? Only 2 that will accept me. Hopkins has a wait but Brandywine can possibly work me in sooner.
**Cross-posted by Admin so that more people will see it**
If you’re looking for an honest review, here it is: the program is brutal. It is tough. It is in your face (and by ‘your’, I mean your eating disorder). If you’re here, reading treatment reviews, you’ve realized that you are no longer in control (although more honesty, even if you felt like you were in control, at some point, that’s your eating disorder lying to you). Eating disorders are sneaky and manipulative: they don’t need to be coddled, massaged, and “yoga’d” into submission. Other programs labeled me as chronic – one went so far as to tell me that I would never see the age of 30, and that I was hopeless. I believed they were correct. I had given up on myself. I begged the staff to leave me alone; to discharge me (I attempted to leave AMA at least five times). The difference? The staff didn’t give up on me – the harder that my eating disorder fought them, the harder that they fought FOR me … the person they knew I was, beneath the angry and hateful shell of anorexia I had become. I have been in recovery for 5 years now, thanks to Dr. G****, A****, and the staff of The Johns Hopkins’ Eating Disorders Program. In the past five years, I have graduated Summa Cum Laude with a second Bachelor’s degree in nursing, got married, have an amazing daughter, and another daughter on the way. My relationships with my family have been restored. I cannot speak highly enough about this program. Was it tough? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Without a doubt. I never want to go back, but I’m pretty sure that’s actually the point of treatment. It’s not supposed to be a vacation.
*Names redacted by admin per site policy
Can you please describe the daily schedule? tx
Hi Ashley, would it be possible for me to reach out to you to ask you some questions about John hopkins program, I may be admitting there soon. Thanks
Any recent experiences??
Nothing has changed. There are more restrictions now due to covid. I have been multiple times both during and before covid. The only change really is you cannot have visitors and can’t go off the unit for walk. Instead of having buffet style meals served, everything comes up on individual trays which I think is better anyways.
Please, is there anyone out there who’s been to Johns Hopkins recently? Can you do a review or even just comment on your experience?
Full disclosure, I was in the inpatient program for about 45 days and left before doing the partial inpatient program. I ended up relapsing into serious symptoms a few months out and am in largely the same place I was on admission.
I went in the beginning of 2018 and was told they’d recently made some changes to the program. ED patients still have to sit in the day area all day and watch the behavioral disorder patients get way more privileges, talk about the meals they get to choose, etc., but you do get unlimited use of your own smartphone as long as your charger cord isn’t long enough to hurt yourself with. Being in inpatient was mostly just incredibly boring besides the groups. Lots of people slept to pass the time, but the furniture you have to sit on 24/7 is very uncomfortable and you get woken up for groups every hour or so.
The quality of group therapy varies with the staff member overseeing it and the willingness of other patients to contribute. Most of the times I gained valuable insight or feedback in groups, it was from two or three of the other patients. The behavioral therapist in particular was very nice and very helpful, the doctors tried very hard to be helpful but were maybe a bit too clinical in their talk, and the social workers were very hit or miss. One in particular was incredibly unhelpful, too focused on pointing out negatives in your thoughts and behavior, and prone to saying things that made you question the worth of her advice. At one point she told us “not all humans are created equalâ€, for example.
I think there is a SERIOUS need for more individual therapy- I never got any at all until I suggested I wanted to leave before doing outpatient, at which point they gave me individual therapy only to try and talk me out of it.
Meals were difficult for me to finish, especially with the added pressure of the penalties if you didn’t finish on time. You were supposed to be locked in a small featureless room for a few hours to “help you finish the meal†but I didn’t get this treatment, not sure why. I had to sit at a little table right by the door, in the busiest spot in the ward. A few times I pushed myself to finish the meal on time and ended up puking from the discomfort- I was reprimanded for going to the bathroom to puke the first time so the second time I had to throw up there at the table in front of all the other patients still eating. Not sure that helped them.
The quality of the food is very good for hospital food…….. that’s all I can really say about it. I got through meals with the thought “if i can make myself eat this food, I can make myself eat anything.
The program helped me out of my crisis very quickly, but I don’t feel enough was done to help me establish stability in that condition. When I made clear that I wanted to leave before doing outpatient, they told me this was my fault for not staying longer. The social worker assigned to my case was very nice, but never actually set up any kind of meeting with my family or significant other. I was told this was my fault for not staying longer.
Overall the main thing that keeps me from giving a glowing recommendation is the way I was talked down to by the staff, ESPECIALLY after revealing my intention to leave before outpatient. The placating tones of the doctors in the daily rounds quickly shifted, they got much more negative and said some very hurtful things in trying to convince me to stay. Suddenly they told me I was just a kid, too young to understand things, I didn’t actually want to recover, I was lying about how good I felt, and I was going to relapse as soon as I left, probably on purpose. I cried during rounds from all this one day and they told me that was proof that I wasn’t ready to leave. If I hadn’t been going to relapse before, their opinions during this stage certainly did not help at all. Every time I said I wanted to leave early, they dismissed it completely, and once I finally got them to accept my decision, which took about a week of argument, I felt that they didn’t want to spend any more energy on me . I understand that they were trying to convince me to stay out of concern, but I found it dehumanizing, and I felt that they were very upset with me personally for wanting to leave and let this affect how they treated me.
I did end up relapsing a few months after leaving treatment, due to a personal crisis and not having an outpatient support system set up. I’m currently debating with myself on whether I should go back, but the attitudes of the staff towards me personally make me nervous, and I still have the same problems with the outpatient program- I have nowhere to stay in downtown Baltimore on the “days off†and I cannot ask my parents to drive for an hour each way to come get me and drop me off again.
I would probably recommend the program to other people despite my complaints, but what you get out of it depends on so many different factors, and I’m not sure how reliable my opinion is anyway since I didn’t end up actually recovering.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that eating disorder patients are often going to auto-hate ANY very strict program. I’ve been a patient at Hopkins since 2007, including inpatient. A lot of what is said above is categorically untrue.
1.) Yes the food is bad. All hospital food is. But they do not just throw you into gorging yourself, and not every patient has the same caloric requirements.
2.) It isn’t dirty. It just isn’t, and to say so is maliciously ridiculous
3.) It is NOT just grand rounds and sitting in the day room. There are also daily walks, stretching and twice-daily group therapy sessions.
4.) Yes, a couple of the nurses there are annoying, but they ARE capable, and most are really precious.
I know multiple women who have chosen to return to hopkins after relapses. They did that because they believed in the program and found it helpful. It has also saved countless lives. And it is insanely irresponsible and thoughtless for former patients to inaccurately badmouth a program that someone else might benefit from. Be honest about what the program consists of and acknowledge that it wasn’t right for YOU without trying to tarnish the entire unit.
Maybe it doesn’t work for some. But it could also very well be a life saver for others. It was for me and for the multiple other women I met who I’m still friends with and who are doing so well 10 years later.
Disagree that it’s not dirty. The unit is dirty. They made patients clean up their own vomit with a towel and that was it for sanitizing it. There was a mouse on the unit once when I was there. The nurses also made me take my medication after they fell on the floor once. I have been on a different unit at Hopkins and they got me new meds when it fell on the floor. That’s just health 101z
I feel as though after all these years I need to leave a review on this place. I was sent to Johns Hopkins when I was 14 years old, forced to go by my parents. This place definitely did way more harm than good in my life. I was inpatient here for about 2 months. The program is almost solely focused on weight restoring anorexic patients with no more therapy than the daily “team meetings” where you are confronted on what you are doing wrong with a team of residents, medical students, and nurses watching and listening. As others have said, there is no therapy at all, just 2-3 “groups” led by a social worker with no direct purpose or structure. As I remember patients just complain about weight gain and the sort. The meal plans are triggering because they are based on calories and you basically slowly go up to a 4000/4500 calories per day. It would be helpful if the food was appetizing but it is simply bland and distasteful hospital food served on plastic. When you get up to a certain calorie count you have to have a specific amount of protein, so if you are having cheese pizza you can expect to be given slices of american cheese to put on top to make sure you meet that protein requirement. This program is based off of the idea that you will recover if you first change your behavior, however even when you change your behavior there is still no support or therapy to help you figure out the reasons behind your eating disorder or cope with weight gain. I am taking a class on “operant conditioning” which is based off of changing behavior by means of rewards and punishments – that is what the Johns Hopkins eating disorder program is.
The unit has a highly institutional feel and you are required to stay in the “day room” all day sitting in dirty uncomfortable waiting room chairs. You are not allowed to go back to your room at all all day, although you share a unit with the mood disorders program and they can go/do whatever they want.
When I was 14 years old at this program I shared a room with an adult patient who was part of the mood disorders program. At any given time I was at most 1 of 2 adolescents in the eating disorder program, in “groups” with adults any age up to 75 years old. It was hard for me to relate to anyone in the program at all.
They do “family meetings” where the social worker tells your parents (or other family member) how best to support you, by limiting your freedom in the outside world if you don’t eat when you get out, and then they tell your parents to just send you back to Johns Hopkins Hospital.
I also learned years later that the staff at in this program told my parents if they didn’t pay out of pocket for me to stay in the program, it would be their fault if I died of my eating disorder.
The program is punitive and if you don’t follow the rules, eat within 45 minutes, don’t gain weight, they take away all but your underwear as a “punishment”. I once had all by personal items taken away and was forced to walk around the unit with a hospital gown on because if I was going to “act sick” they were going to “treat me like I was sick”.
On the weekends you have a group like watching an outdated eating disorder documentary that ended up doing much more harm than good anyway.
And when you do make it through the months of inpatient and the step down day hospital, they only have an “outpatient consultation clinic” staffed by the program director and assistant director and 1 therapist. That is the level of care support they offer.
You do not get to know your weight ever, until you leave which by that time you have gotten to your goal weight but you have no idea what it is.
Also the waiting list to get into inpatient can be weeks sometimes because there are only 8-10 eating disorder beds and most patients stay for months.
I must mention a few positives of this program- there is excellent medical support for those who are severely compromised because of their eating disorder, there is a small off unit walk once a day if you are medically stable (but if you are breaking the rules in any way you won’t be allowed to go), and finally if you are truly dying of your eating disorder they will get you to eat and essentially help you not die, but there is not support provided beyond that. I did stay alive because of Johns Hopkins, but I relapsed multiple times after leaving and ended up getting treatment at another center which has the step down support I needed. I think if you have had your eating disorder for years and you just need to break the cycle- Hopkins might be right for you, but I would never send a kid here. The Center for eating disorder at Sheppard Pratt about 20 minutes away accepts all the same insurances, and has a separate unit for kids 15 and below.
Lastly I would say, if Johns Hopkins is your only option for treatment, it is better to go than to not get any treatment at all, but I would strongly encourage anyone to go somewhere else if they have the coverage.
I am now 25 years old and look back and wish I could have gotten help somewhere else and maybe I would have recovered sooner, my parents even now say they wish they hadn’t sent me there.
Thank you for this review. Do you remember if they allowed snacks and if so is it just boost or are there other options?
The only time you get a snack is when you are on the largest meal plan which requires an ensure plus and a pack of cookies…other than it’s just 3 meals
when were you a patient? do you know of it is the same right now in 2018? anyone have any info???!!!! id greatly appreciate it!
Not a treatment for beginners or bingers. There is only minimal education about eating disorders, no individual therapy, a lot of quality variations in the provision of care, and limited examination of underlying issues. All therapy is delivered in a group setting, which can be helpful but be prepared for a lot of dead time where people just sit around staring at each in awkward silence while a subpar social worker struggles to facilitate a conversation that has even a morsel of meaning. There are three 45-minute groups on weekdays (one is occupational therapy every day) and two groups on weekdays, so the reports of free-time are fairly accurate.
It is a great place to get weight stable in a relatively short time frame and you get to keep your laptop and cellphone, so it is easy to keep into touch with family, work or Netflix. It is not the worst, but it is not the best.
I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you struggle with binging because they don’t really address this issue and there is a lot food out in the open and lying around for the affective disorder patients with limited staff supervision.
Talking about underlying issues is limited, and some topics seem down-right taboo. Even if you would have been brave enough to talk your about underlying romantic/sexual issue with a group of 2 to 8 people that you literally spend all day with in one combined living/dining area and one group room, there are often minors in the group, so discussion about sex and sexuality are often discouraged. Talking about the origin of your disorder is often ignored and the docs say they don’t want to dive into a lot of the deeper issues and don’t need individual therapy because “that is best left for outpatient†and because many people in impatient aren’t “readyâ€.
The facilities are old and worn, with the day area looking like a cross between a run-down waiting room and a 4th grade-classroom. However, renovations are being discussed. Staff are usually very nice but there is variability in their attentiveness and patience. If you are really struggling, there are a decent amount of opportunities to act on symptoms (though definitely nothing like a more relaxed treatment). Food is hospital food served on cheap styrofoam that disappointing to those who are finally allowing themselves to eat for the first time in a long time, but the mac and cheese is good and you’ll get French like every other day, which I liked. There are rounds every morning, bathroom breaks are monitored, water intake is controlled, and there is a short walk at 4pm. Weights are always blind and you don’t know your goal weight until you leave. There aren’t any snacks and supplements are given at meals, (unless you are on the highest meal plans) which can make finishing in the 45 minutes time frame difficult for some. Meal plan has a general calorie goal, but the individual doesn’t count calories, they use the exchange system (i.e. a butter equals one fat, fruits and sugars are a ‘fruit’, etc) which isn’t the most intuitive or useful meal plan. You cannot be vegetarian. This place can help you, but it is best if you have relapsed and need a crash pad to relaunch a better life and get back to healthier place, but already know a lot about your disorder and have done therapy before. You should be a self-starter/internally motivated, comfortable “discomfort†and a little dirt, and like bar-b-que sauce because that stuff ends up on everything (include the pizza somehow, which is actually not too shabby).
Please note that the quote of 2 week impatient, 3 week PHP does not apply to very underweight patent. Your stay will be considerable longer (1-2months or more impatient). They expect you to do the PHP program, which has a lot more value (you go out to restaurants, have days off and do a lot more food prep). John Hopkins can provide you with housing for PHP.
Sheppard Pratt is also in Baltimore and accepts a lot of the same insurance plans. From what I remember, they are very similar programs except that it is a bit nicer setting, you get individual and family therapy every week, the population is purely ED, you don’t get to keep your cellphone/computer, supplements are at breaks not meal, your showers are limited to 5 minutes, weights aren’t blind, and there is no walk or whiff of exercise. Princeton is also very similar to Hopkins with all the peaks Pratt doesn’t have but it is nicer.
Hi,
Were you there recently? I know they have changed the way they do things. I was wondering about the meal plans and if they still use an exchange system or calories.
hi. when were there at hopkins? was it just last year at the time you wrote this? or earlier? im trying to get a good feel as to how the program is now in 2018… any info from anybody is welcomed!
hi Katie and Mary!
I just left a review of my time here in 2018 but I wanted to try and make sure you guys saw this- they still use the same meal plan, food groups and exchanges instead of calories, and the rest is still pretty much as described above.
Like Emma said it’s a very good program for your medical concerns, physically they take care of you very well and build you back up from crisis. Emotionally and mentally what you get out of it depends on a lot of factors, one of them being how compliant you are with the staff. If you are willing to trust them and really put yourself into what they want you to do, try and talk to the other patients during group, etc., I really do think it’s very helpful.
I didn’t stay for the day hospital part of the program, and I’ve never been to another inpatient facility so keep that in mind. I hope you can get the help that you need, whether it’s from Johns Hopkins or anywhere else.
Any current summer/fall 2016 reviews?
Hopkins ED program doesn’t separate adolescents and adults. It is ion the same floor with adult Mood Disorder patients and Young Adult patients. ED patients participate in group therapy, they do not work one in one with a psychiatrist, although they meet,with the team of doctors daily. Group therapy is beneficial because you hear from others struggling with the same behaviors, however this may not be the best for for him. Goodluck!
Hello,
I am a 63 yo bulimic female. My symptoms have been exacerbated for several years and I freel maybe going into treatment might be the way to go. However, my objections are that women/men who are anorexic benefit greatly from these programs bc the objective is to make them start eating again. I, on the other hand, have no trouble eating and find putting me in the same situation with anorexics is troublesome. I looked into John Hopkins Ed unit and based on the reviews, quite skeptical. I looked into Princeton Hospital( was there in 2000, but skeptical. My choices are limited bc I’m on Medicare. She Sheppard Pratt was another place that would take Medicare. Any feedback about the places I mentioned or suggestions for some other place that would fit my needs? I live in the Phila. Area, been to Renfrew, not a fan. They don’t even take Medicare. I’m in quite a conundrum. I would appreciate any suggestions or feedback.?
Thx!
Rcsporty
Hopefully you have received treatment by now. If not, Hopkins is the way to go.
Hopkins has a teen program on the same floor. I have been in treatment with boys in the program. If you choose a program that is solely ed, there may not be any boys.
Also hopkins program is on the same unit as adolescence mood disorders. He may be able to take part in both groups and there should be peers around his age.
Eileen,
I’m not sure how to connect with you privately but I’d really like to do that. Admin, can you connect us? Would you prefer our exchange be here?
My questions are about over exposure to life stuff that my immature 13-year-old may encounter. He will be completely overwhelmed. How is the treatment for the ED combined with what’s needed for the anxiety and other struggles he’s going to have while he’s in treatment?
I have insurance questions too. I want to start treatment for him NOW but insurance would baulk at us having him home on Christmas Eve and Day? I hate how insurance has a say in medical treatment prescribed by medical professionals!
Input? Suggestions? Comments?
Laura
I have found that treatment needs to come before everything, even the holidays. While it may be that you simple want to spend the holiday with him, his struggles may make the holiday incredibly difficult for him. I spent Christmas in treatment a few years ago and it was a relief to not have to deal with all the the anxiety of the holiday.
Agree agree agree! I hate it but looks like insurance and the doctor and other family stuff puts us past the 25th. The anxiety about missing Christmas is bigger, I guess. I am not happy.
Laura, I don’t think it would be a good fit. It is crowded, all girls, a lot of down time, etc. Your treatment team likely would prefer that he not go home for the holidays. You can’t really pull them in and out. I would try to find something that is more suited to his age and sex. It is terribly traumatic under any circumstances, but especially if you are the only boy. Good luck to you both.
I hear you. He’s not coming home for the holidays, starting afterwards now. Feeling like we have no options. My new friend’s son had a good experience there so nice been encouraged by her experience. Crowded and down time does not make me happy at all!
I hope his experience is as good as mine. I will be thinking of you during the holidays. I spent Christmas at Hopkins in 2011, the nurses did a really great job of making the day extra special. There was a tree that made the place feel more like home. And one of the nurses, my favorite, had the kids in her Sunday School class, make anonymous cards for each of us. There where even little gifts that we got. It felt like home away from home.
Hi Laura, I just wanted to say I fully agree with Eileen. I would sooner put my son, if I had one, on a medical unit of a medical hospital for physiology alone than go into the Hopkins ED program as a young boy. Especially if it is a question of insurance coverage.
There are other ED programs that are better fit for young kids of both genders.
I have been a patient at Johns Hopkins on several occasions over the last few years. A 13 year old boy would be very out of place. They don’t often have males, and when they do, they are generally much older. I have never seen more than one male at a time ED service. As a matter of fact, they rarely have females as young as 13 years. Even 15-17 year old females often feel out of place. The young adult service that treats 15-25 year olds is most often compromised of the 18-25 year old range. I would recommend the Hopkins program to most people, but never for a 13 year old, and especially a 13 year old male. Look at Sheppard Pratt. They have many more children that are on the younger side.
Yes, I am going to chime in on this……
First, I agree with Anon. And here’s a quote from the Sheppard Pratt Center for Eating Disorders:
“Children and adults with eating disorders have very different needs throughout treatment and recovery. At the Center, your child
will receive age-specific care tailored to the unique developmental needs of children 8-15 years old on a unit separate from older
adolescents and adults. The Center’s 11-bed Child & Adolescent inpatient unit means your child receives close, individualized
attention throughout all aspects of treatment.”
Also,
When I was at Hopkins, I was 63 years old. I knew that they’d treated older people for eating disorder, but I did have a sense of being an “outlier”. Perhaps that is how we all feel — that we don’t belong……but for me, I sensed that I had to compromise myself in some ways — just to get through the hospitalization.
Fellow patients were kind to me.
I walked more slowly, I did not hear as well. And – perhaps worse for me, was that I did feel staff prejudice. I am not sure if this was accurate, or that I was projecting my own sense of feeling so bad about myself. I am still not sure about that.
I have so many unresolved thoughts and feelings from my time on the unit.
When I got to Jefferson House — it was difficult to keep up, once again. I was exhausted by the amount of work – psychological and physical – that is necessary.
By that I mean, waking up when you have to, staying in the day room, being ‘conscious’…….
I remember having trouble walking to the cafeteria….it was arduous for me.
I was the only obese patient, the only binge eating disordered person……
Some may say “get over it”.
But I have not.
Thank you for abiding what i write here.
Does anyone else identify?
Gratefully,
leslie
Sheppard Pratt has a dedicated program and separate floor for children under 18. I would certainly choose them over Hopkins. I’ve been to Hopkins 3 times and each time was traumatic and I can’t imagine a boy would be comfortable. I have been there with some male adults though and they do get some extra attn. just because of being male (not always for the right reasons!) THe young boy i was there with recently was transferred due to his Tourette’s syndrome.
Try SHeppard First though!
I need to hear from someone who has experience with Reflections in Falls Church. Help?
I have been there. You can connect with me through admin. I would be happy to help
I have had an e.d for 37 years. What a battle! Would you ladies say that this is the best treatment center on the East Coast? If not, any suggestions? I need to make a decision, and it’s grueling. Thanks bunches!
Eileen, Even though not on the east coast, The Center For Change in Orem Utah is by far the best tx program in the nation! If you can, look into it! I promise you, it will change your life!
I would say Johns Hopkins is by far the best on the east coast. The staff are amazing. It’s a tough program but worth it. It saved my life a few times.
My treatment team is looking to send me here. Thing is I’ve been restoring weight for the past two months so I’m nearly weight restored. Does it still pay to go?
I think it depends, weight is not always the deciding factor. It does a great job of helping people step outside their comfort zone in a safe controlled environment, and helps patients get a handle on behaviors. They also do a great job of teaching people how to function in the community
I so agree with Nicole. Weight restoration is part of recovery but there is so much to be healed past the numbers on the scale, or eating your meals. There is no better way to ground yourself, to deal with issues that ‘regular doctors’ (internists, even psychiatrists) really may not be able to fathom, than to be at Hopkins. Be ready to be honest, be open to new ways of interacting, new ways of ‘being’, and this might be just the new beg
Any updated reviews from anyone who has been there recently? Considering this program, but not sure if the right fit. Thank you.
Renee:
Hello. Glad that you are reaching out for information. And although I was at Johns Hopkins for a month in May 2104, and I thought it was a terrific program, ultimately it has proven in my life that my eating disorder still is a significant challenge.
That all said, (and that I have no current information about life on the unit), may I ask you what things you need to have a ‘good fit’ in your hospitalization?
Are there specific aspects of the hospital that are most important for you? Can you talk about those?
I think, potentially, your query could help a lot of folks seeking treatment at Johns Hopkins.
It’s never one size fits all, it’s never going to meet the needs of every patient, of course.
For me, what I needed was hope — and the doctors gave it to me. The admitting doctor told me that she could help me, but that she felt I need to be in-patient. When I got there, I realized soon how much of a collaboration it would be — the staff and I,and even the other patients, and I grabbed the opportunity as much as I could to absorb new ideas, new ways of thinking and behaving. It was a tough program — I will bet some still see it as that. But I had NEVER been in a eating disorder hospital where the doctors and staff were as expert, knowledgeable, and caring.
Can you say what your needs are right now, in order to begin to heal?
I, for one, am so grateful. What I am trying to say, also, is that if I can help anyone who is suffering an eating disorder, that is a very good thing………..thanks……..
Blessings, Renee.
Leslie
Baltimore City
Sorry for taking so long to reply. I had looked into a couple of treatment centers, but have been “turned away” due to my BMI being below what they would want, plus I have been having some significant medical complications associated with my eating disorder. They have urged me to find a program that is within a hospital so that I can have more medical support. I have spoken with Denver Acute, but that is quite far from my home. My main goals would be weight restoration and relapse prevention. I have been in treatment before, but I have avoided it over the last few years. I did call Hopkins, but it seems as though their waiting list is quite long. Any other suggestions for the Delaware area?
Put your name on the waiting list. It is often a shorter wait than what they tell you.
Hi Renee,
I agree with Nicole. Put your name on the wait list.
When I was an inpatient at Hopkins I observed (as a lay person) the doctors treating extremely complicated medical issues, in addition to the eating disorders. I had never seen that degree of competence and expertise. Go for it, Renee.
ps A very interesting trend happened to me after my hospitalization. My symptoms quieted down to a great degree. I am not on the Prozac they prescribed for me (binge eating disorder) because that medicine caused me eventual intolerable agitation.
That said, I think I gained HOPE while a patient at Johns Hopkins, and there were definitely things I learned that stand me in good stead, a year later. For me, “recovery” is doing better, and I suppose for each of us, defining recovery is different. I feel blessed to have been a patient there.
Thinking of you, Renee.
i would look into Columbia at NYSPI (free research ip program) Long term and they take medically compromise people
Renee,
Others hospital-based programs near you:
–Sheppard Pratt (Towson, MD)
–Brandywine (Coatesville, PA)
–UNC (Chapel Hill, NC)
–Ridgeview Institute (Syrmna, GA)
–River Oaks (Louisiana)
–Princeton EDU (New Jersey)
–Reflections at Dominion Hospital (Falls Church, VA)
If you are looking for inpatient treatment on the east coast there is Princeton EDU in New Jersey which I have heard nothing bad about. Also like said earlier the The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt is just outside Baltimore and I would recommend them over the Hopkins program any day. I have been to the Hopkins Program and I found none of their manipulative tactics helpful.
Thank you all for all of the suggestions. I have contacted Sheppard Pratt, but was told I would not be appropriate for their unit, as they would send me to one of the local medical facilities for treatment first. They suggested Johns Hopkins. I did call Hopkins again, but was not given much information about how long the wait would be. They only said it was going to be at least 3-4 weeks based on the current census and current wait list. I am hoping to find a program that has a strong adult program. I also want to be medically stabilized during the refeeding process. I have had a lot of difficulty with this in the past, and it wasn’t handled very well where I was treated before. I have some family who live close to Baltimore, so I guess that is why I was looking into this particular program. My family (close to my home) are really pressuring me to go inpatient as soon as possible. I understand they are concerned. I am becoming increasingly reliant on them to help me with even the most basic of tasks (even having trouble walking now). I guess I will call Hopkins again next week to see if I may be officially put on the wait list for a bed in January. I will also make a few calls to the other centers that have been suggested. Hope everyone has a happy holiday!
Keep trying and get your name on the list no matter how long I is. People back out to choose other things at times, and then I long wait because much shorter.
If you want to try Hopkins you should call and get your name on the list. You never know what might happen. It may move way faster than you think. You can also contact Dr G (program director) direct and let her know how precarious your situation is. Good luck!
Hi Leslie – I was at Hopkins for AN a few years back. And like you (I think) I am older (late 40s). Hopkins did not work for me, but treatment is personal and it did work for many, including YOU. When I was inpatient I was with two gals who had been there before and were back due to relapse. The doctors welcomed them back with open arms. By all means, pick up the phone —
make the call as soon as you can. Life is too short. You did it before. You can do it again!
All my best…
Dear Friend, “ANON”,
I appreciate your words and thoughts so much. Life IS so short, and the fact that any eating disorder robs a person of their life in such insidious ways is haunting to me.
Yes, I was 63 when I was inpatient. I found there was great rapport between patients – no matter their age. But ultimately, this is a very private struggle, i.e. to get better, and I think Hopkins offers a person THE best chance to emerge from the destruction of these illnesses.
How are *you* doing now? Have you found peace with your eating, your body, your thoughts?
Can you reflect on why treatment at Hopkins did not help you? Would YOU ever give it another chance?
I will let you know my next steps, and if I find the courage to make the call to ask for further help.
I am so grateful for your post.
Here’s to HOPE for all of us………
Leslie, gratefully
The Johns Hopkins Eating Disorder program is the best. I have heard so many say, “I was at so many other places and this is the only one that has worked.” They saved my life more than once. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t ever go anywhere else. The program doesn’t just re-feed, they teach you how to make food choices and live life again. They have real life teaching. They teach you how to shop at the grocery store, how to order at a restaurant, and how to prepare meals. Not too many other programs teach you all of that. It’s #1 in my book. I was eating disorder free for 8 years because of them. Recently, so many bad things have happened in my life, I so desperately wish my insurance would cover my treatment there.
Hi Nikki,
I agree wholeheartedly. Johns Hopkins was THE best treatment I had ever received. It was challenging, and difficult. But that was okay. I went in thinking I had no way out of my binge eating, save suicide.
The doctor who admitted me was Dr. M. How I wish the final days of my hospitalization had turned out better than they did.
I was at the Jefferson House — the only patient there at the time — and that last day, no one was scheduled to stay with me. It was extremely scary for me to figure out what I could do to best take care of myself.
Now….. I feel like I have alienated the staff at Hopkins. Indeed, when I found myself seriously slipping in my eating, I contacted them for help. I was told that Dr. S was no longer there, and to “get help at Sheppard Pratt”.
So, it was traumatizing, to say the least. I felt a pariah. I still do feel that way. As if I had been black-listed.
I still – more than a year later – feel HORRIBLE about myself and what happened.
I still need treatment.
I wish things did not transpire the way they did.
I wish I did not feel so shamed.
AND, I wish I were still there – at Hopkins — because NO PROGRAM WAS EVER AS GOOD as the one they offer.
Leslie
Baltimore
Leslie,
If Hopkins will except you again. I’d go for it. Yes, at times I’ve had a tech or a nurse that I felt, had no clue about eating disorders. But the majority of the nurses and staff are amazing. We all screw up at times but it’s taking the skills we have learned and moving forward. I’ve been there a few times and I learn a little more each time I’m there. One time, I was so sick, I was literally dying. I had Addison’s disease with a history of an eating disorder. A bad combination because I wasn’t diagnosed with the Addison’s disease yet. A few days, I would say, were hell on earth. I was trying so hard, but I was being told it wasn’t trying and it was all in my head. Despite this, the team never gave up looking for other answers besides ed and crazy. I was sent for an endoscopy and colonoscopy, my stomach was biopsied. One day the team met for over an hour about me and they solved the mystery. They ultimately saved my life. I knew that I only had a few days left of life just before I was diagnosed. Most people with Addison’s disease don’t make it as long as I did. For that I will always be thankful. Besides the current head nurse is amazing. I have known her since my first admission in 2000 and I have so much respect for her. The directors, are the most amazing people. I have been seeing one of them for 13 years. He is why I have been so successful in recovery. 8 amazing years ED free.
Nikki,
I am so proud of you and for you. You went through a horrific time and you allowed yourself to be helped. You were at death’s door. That you are thriving now is so awesome. I just want to express my gratitude for your ‘testimony’.
Yes, that is what I found too, at Hopkins. They accept the challenges of many people who present with difficult eating disorders, with very complex co-morbidities. I had never seen a hospital and doctors be so undaunted. When I was there, in May of 2014, many patients had very profound extenuating circumstances, physical and emotional. And, I am beyond happy for you that they were able to diagnose and treat your Addison’s.
I wish I could have said to the staff “I need more time”, “I am not ready to be discharged”…….
I was extremely ambivalent about leaving Hopkins. After decades of binge eating, I needed (and need) more help. Thanks, Nikki – maybe I will call them. I am scared to reach out, (as I said my last day there was disastrous), but I believe that outpatient care would help me immeasurably.
It has been a blessing to communicate with you, Nikki.
Thanks from my grateful heart,
leslie
Leslie,
We are all ambivalent, as it is extremely hard to go from such a nurturing environment into the harsh world without anymore contact from “the inside.” I would love to start a house like the Jefferson house, that supports patients for a year after their stay at Hopkins. It is much needed. I can tell that you have grown and with each admission we grow even more. I how that you find your next admission just as helpful.
Nikki
Thanks for your comments, Nikki.
How very interesting — a step-down house after the Jefferson House! Your understanding of how hard it is to go from the nurturing treatment and atmosphere (even after being discharged from the inpatient unit) is something I believe warrants analysis.
For me, inpatient and Jefferson House went way too fast. I take responsibility also, because I tend to wish to please clinicians, and in doing so, I wonder if they realized how very scary the transition was for me, even as I stated it was going well for me.
And, it probably was on some levels. Probably THE most detrimental element in all this are insurance restraints, and perhaps even the Staff’s need to treat waiting to be admitted and sicker patients for whom treatment is more dire — I would love to hear the clinicians thoughts on a person’s ambivalence to move on, and the realities of moving on.
You cannot keep a person in treatment forever…….there comes a time when we must spread our wings.
I realize that. Your idea of beginning a House for follow-up and support ONE YEAR post-Jefferson is so interesting.
I wish I could be more optimistic. Right now I am doing my best to minimize my binge eating, but I am still using food to help me get through the days. Mine is a life-long struggle.
All that said, Johns Hopkins is THE best program I have ever encountered. And I was blessed to have been a patient there.
What I recommend, especially in hindsight, is that all patients (including myself) begin with honesty of self-expression and continue to build upon that throughout treatment……
Thanks, Nikki.
leslie
Baltimore City