Eating Disorder Program
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 “Hope at Herrick” Eating Disorder Program for Adolescents and Adults
Inpatient & Outpatient Services in Berkeley, CA
The Alta Bates Summit Medical Center "Hope at Herrick" Eating Disorder Program is located at the Herrick Campus in Berkeley, California. It is directed by Neal Anzai, MD, a specialist with many years of experience (see "About Our Director" below).
The goal of our program is to get all of our patients well on the way to full and sustained recovery and to minimize risk of relapse. We have been very successful at treating individuals who have failed multiple other specialty treatment centers.
For a referral to the program, please call (510) 204-4405.
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About Our Eating Disorder Program
Free Eating Disorder Support Groups & Classes
About Anorexia Nervosa and Bulemia
Quiz - Are You at Risk for Anorexia?
About Our Director
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About Our Eating Disorder Program
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We offer the Bay Area’s only full-spectrum, psychiatric eating disorder program for both adolescents and adults. We provide evaluation and treatment by some of California’s most qualified professionals, experienced in treating thousands of patients with eating disorders. Our programs bridge both the outpatient and inpatient levels of care, and we are fully JCAHO accredited, which means that we have met the highest standards for quality care.
Proper Treatment Can Mean Hope and Health...
Eating disorders occur in various forms accompanied by a wide range of symptoms which determine each individual’s unique treatment plan. Every person who enters any of our programs undergoes a comprehensive intake evaluation which may include a diagnostic screening interview, psychiatric evaluation, nutritional assessment, medical evaluation, and possibly psychological testing. These assessments will determine the individual’s treatment plan and level of care.
Inpatient Psychiatric Services
Inpatient services are provided at the Herrick Campus, home of Northern California’s largest private psychiatric program. Inpatient services may be desired or necessary for the severely underweight anorexic or bulimic patient who has not been able to make progress as an outpatient, may need to get a quick start on recovery, or needs medical stabilization and weight restoration as the first step towards recovery. Referrals can be made to medical facilities when appropriate.
Intensive Outpatient Program and Partial Hospitalization
We also offer the Bay Area’s only day treatment and intensive outpatient programs for adolescents and adults with eating disorders. This level of care is appropriate for those individuals who are just getting started in treatment or who need more intensive treatment than normally available in standard outpatient office therapy. Your schedule will be determined at the time of the intake evaluation. Schedules typically start at 6 hours a day/5 days a week, and can be tapered as you progress in recovery.
Medical Evaluations
Eating disorders can lead to serious medical complications which may become irreversible or even lead to sudden death. The effects of semi-starvation on the brain and body also impair the clients’ ability to utilize traditional psychotherapies and hamper recovery from these serious illnesses. A thorough medical evaluation is necessary in order to develop a proper treatment plan. We can work with the patient’s physician or have our physicians, who are experienced with treating eating disorder patients, conduct a thorough medical evaluation and make outpatient referrals for follow-up care.
Nutrition Therapy
The restoration of normal nutrition and health is an essential part of treatment. All clients must be evaluated by our experienced registered dietitians who have treated hundreds of patients with Eating Disorders. The ultimate goal for all patients is to improve eating patterns and normalize their relationship with food and their body. After a thorough nutritional assessment, the dietitian will work with the team in devising individualized eating plans for obtaining this goal.
Psychotherapy
A comprehensive individualized treatment plan is developed for each client including several of the following modalities:
> Individual Therapy: The cornerstone of recovery for eating disordered clients is individual psychotherapy with an expert therapist. This may be supportive, educational, cognitive-behavioral, or psychodynamic/insight-oriented depending on the stage of recovery.
> Family Therapy: The involvement of family and significant others is an essential component of treatment. This can be in the form of traditional family therapies or include support and psycho-educational groups.
> Insight-Oriented “Process” Therapy Group: As therapy progresses the emphasis for recovery shifts more to interpersonal issues and acquiring healthier coping skills. This long-term, stable “process” group can be the ideal setting to re-evaluate the facade that people portray and to practice new-found skills for improving inter-personal and social interactions.
Psycho-Educational Interventions
Eating disorder clients and their families commonly suffer from erroneous beliefs and/or lack of correct information about these complicated illnesses. Many patients make significant progress simply by learning more about what causes or maintains these disorders and by correcting distorted beliefs about food, weight and dieting. Our program emphasizes the need to make sense of why anorexia and bulimia are so powerful and consuming. This approach is designed to provide essential information and make the different components and stages of recovery more logical and predictable for patients and their significant others.
Program Costs
Fees vary depending upon services provided, level of professional care, and time spent. Fee schedules also vary by insurance coverage. Our services are covered by most of the major insurance carriers. We are glad to help you verify insurance coverage prior to admission to the program.
More Information or Arranging an Intake Evaluation
To arrange hospital admission, please call our Psychiatric Intake and Information line at (510) 204-4405; 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
To arrange an Evaluation for Outpatient Day Treatment Services or Partial Hospitalization call (510) 204-4569 during business hours, or leave a message.
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Free Eating Disorder Support Groups & Classes
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We offer free monthly support and educational groups for patients, their families and significant others. Those close to the patient are often overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and guilt. This group provides support through the long and difficult process of recovery. The multi-family groups provide education, an opportunity to share and process experiences, as well as getting needed support.
Following are the support groups and classes currently offered through the Eating Disorder Program:
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Eating Disorder Support Group for Patients and Significant Others
Thursday, April 10, 2007
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Herrick Campus
2001 Dwight Way, Berkeley
Maffly Auditorium, Basement Level A
Educational Presentation:
Assertiveness: An Essential Element of Recovery
Thursday, April 24, 2007
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Herrick Campus
2001 Dwight Way, Berkeley
Maffly Auditorium, Basement Level A
Eating Disorder Support Group for Patients and Significant Others
Thursday, May 8, 2007
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Herrick Campus
2001 Dwight Way, Berkeley
Maffly Auditorium, Basement Level A
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Please call us at (510) 204-4580 for more information.
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About Anorexia Nervosa and Bulemia
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Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are complex “Bio-Psycho-Social” diseases that require a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. Among the factors that contribute to their development are a biologic pre-disposition, physiologic consequences of semi-starvation, aberrant nutritional patterns, cultural pressures, family dysfunction, psychological stressor as well as psychological make-up. Recovery is best achieved when each of these issues is addressed via individualized treatment plans.
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Quiz - Are You at Risk for Anorexia?
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Answer the following questions with a 'yes' or 'no' answer:
· Have you lost a lot of weight?
· Do you eat only certain foods for fear of gaining weight?
· Are you spending a lot of time thinking about your body, weight, calories, food, or dieting?
· Have you developed ways of eating, such as rearranging food on your plate, excessive chewing or eating food in a certain order?
· Do you talk to others about feeling fat?
· Do you avoid mealtimes and eating?
· Do you frequently weigh yourself?
· Do you prefer to eat alone?
· If some asks you to eat something, do you say no, even if you know you should?
· Do you wear baggy clothes or form-fitting clothing?
· Do you exercise more than 2 hours per day so that you can burn off the calories from the food you have eaten?
· Are you feeling moody, depressed, or withdrawn on a regular basis?
If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, you may have anorexia.
For information or a referral to our program, please call (510) 204-4405.
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About Our Director
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Neal Anzai, MD brings more than 20 years of experience to our program. He is Board Certified in General, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and has directed Eating Disorder inpatient and outpatient programs in California and Hawaii.
His psychiatry residency training took place at the University of California, Davis and Stanford Medical Center. He also did a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at U.C.L.A. Neuropsychiatric Institute. His special interest has been in the Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
Previously, he served as Medical Director of Hawaii’s largest child and adolescent psychiatry clinic, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii, and a physician consultant to Hawaii Biodyne and Magellan Behavioral Health. Dr. Anzai was chief of Psychiatry at the Kapl’olani Medical Center for Women and Children and an editorial reviewer for the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He also ran a busy outpatient practice primarily serving anorexic and bulimic patients, and has served as an examiner for adult and the Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Board Examinations.
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