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Depression and Eating Disorders in Adolescents: Understanding Symptoms and Treatment Options

Adolescence is a time of significant change and development, both physically and emotionally. During this crucial period, many young people face challenges that can impact their mental health, including depression and eating disorders. These conditions often go hand in hand, creating a complex cycle that can be difficult to break.

At SunCloud Health, we understand the unique challenges faced by teenagers and offer specialized treatment options to support their recovery journey. Here we’ll explore the connection between eating disorders and depression in adolescents, the importance of knowing the signs, and the comprehensive treatment options available at our treatment center.

Understanding Depression and Eating Disorder Issues in Teenagers

Depression and eating disorder struggles are two of the most common mental health conditions affecting teenagers. They often occur simultaneously, with each condition exacerbating the other. Understanding the relationship between these disorders is crucial for effective intervention and treatment.

The Connection Between Eating Disorder and Depressive Disorder Struggles

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to changes in appetite, sleep patterns, and energy levels, all of which can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, involve unhealthy eating habits and a distorted body image. These disorders can be a coping mechanism for dealing with low self-esteem and negative emotions or emotional pain often associated with depression.

Risk Factors and Warning Signs

Several environmental factors can increase the risk of developing eating disorders and depression during adolescence, including:

  • Genetic Predisposition: A family history of mental disorders can increase the likelihood of developing these disorders.
  • Societal Pressure: Teenagers often face pressure to conform to societal beauty standards, leading to body dissatisfaction, a negative body image, and unhealthy eating behaviors or excessive exercise.
  • Trauma and Stress: Experiences such as bullying, abuse, or significant life changes can trigger depression like major depressive disorder or eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
  • Low Self-Esteem: Negative self-perception and a resulting fear of gaining weight can fuel both depression and disordered eating.

Recognizing the warning signs of both eating disorders and depression or other mood disorders is essential for immediate intervention. Common symptoms include:

  • Persistent sadness, irritability, or depressed mood
  • Withdrawal from friends and activities
  • Difficulty with emotion regulation
  • Significant weight changes or fluctuations
  • Obsession with body image or body weight
  • Preoccupation or fear of weight gain
  • Changes in eating habits, such as restricting certain foods, binge eating, or purging behaviors
  • Fatigue and lack of energy
  • Struggling with negative recurrent thoughts
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Obsessive or excessive exercising

The Importance of Early Intervention

Identifying compensatory behaviors, eating disorder behaviors, or depression symptoms is critical in addressing mental struggles in teenagers. The sooner these conditions are identified and treated, the better the chances for a successful recovery. Intervening early can help prevent the development of severe complications, such as:

  • Physical Health Issues: Eating disorders can lead to malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances, and organ damage, while depression can result in sleep disturbances and weakened immune function.
  • Academic and Social Impact: Both disorders can affect academic performance and social interactions, leading to isolation and further decline of one’s mental well-being.
  • Chronic Mental Health Problems: Untreated depressive symptoms, comorbid depression, and/or eating disorder symptoms can persist into adulthood, increasing the risk of chronic mental health issues.

Treatment Options at SunCloud Health

At SunCloud Health, we offer comprehensive mental health treatment options tailored to meet the unique needs of teenagers struggling with depression, including major depressive disorder and other depressive disorders, and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Our programs emphasize holistic, evidence-based approaches to support lasting recovery.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) provides intensive, structured care for teenagers who need more support than traditional outpatient therapy but do not require 24-hour inpatient care. Key components of our PHP include:

  • Individual Therapy: Teenagers receive personalized therapy sessions to address underlying issues contributing to their depression, major depressive disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or other eating disorder or depressive symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are often used to help patients develop healthy coping mechanisms and improve emotional regulation and occupational functioning.
  • Group Therapy: Group sessions offer a supportive environment for adolescents to connect with peers facing similar mental illness challenges. These sessions promote self-expression, empathy, and a sense of community.
  • Family Involvement: Family therapy is an integral part of our PHP, helping families understand and support their loved one’s recovery process. Family involvement can improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen the family unit.
  • Nutritional Counseling: Our program includes guidance from registered dietitians who work with teenagers to develop balanced eating habits and a positive relationship with food.

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) provides a flexible treatment option for teenagers who require ongoing support while maintaining their daily responsibilities, such as school and extracurricular activities. The IOP at SunCloud Health includes:

  • Flexible Scheduling: Sessions are held multiple times a week, allowing adolescents to attend treatment while balancing other commitments.
  • Continued Therapeutic Support: IOP provides ongoing individual and group therapy to reinforce coping strategies and address any emerging challenges.
  • Focus on Relapse Prevention: The program emphasizes skills and strategies to prevent relapse, promoting long-term recovery.

A Holistic Approach to Recovery

At SunCloud Health, we recognize that each teenager’s recovery journey is unique. Our treatment programs are designed to address the physical, emotional, and social aspects of their major depression or eating disorder struggles. In addition to traditional therapies, we offer holistic approaches such as:

  • Mindfulness and Meditation: Techniques to help teenagers manage stress and improve emotional resilience.
  • Art and Expressive Therapies: Creative outlets for self-expression and emotional healing.
  • Physical Activity: Incorporating exercise to promote overall well-being and body positivity.

Take the First Step toward Healing

Addressing depression and/or eating disorder symptoms in teenagers requires a compassionate and comprehensive approach. At SunCloud Health, we are committed to providing the support and resources necessary for young individuals to overcome these challenges and achieve lasting recovery. Our PHP and IOP programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of adolescents, offering a safe and nurturing environment for healing.

If you suspect that your teenager may be struggling with depression or and eating disorder conditions, don’t wait to seek help. Early identification and intervention can make a significant difference in their recovery journey. Contact SunCloud Health today to learn more about our specialized treatment options and how we can support your adolescent’s path to healing.

Rachel Collins, LCSW
Site Director of Northbrook PHP and IOP

Rachel Collins, LCSW, is the Site Director of SunCloud Health’s Northbrook Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs for both adolescents and adults. Rachel earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to complete her master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University. She has since worked in a wide range of settings, including inpatient treatment, PHP/IOP programs, therapeutic group homes, and private practice. Rachel specializes in treating trauma (using Cognitive Processing Therapy) and anxiety, practicing through a relational, compassionate, and client-centered lens. She is passionate about creating a therapeutic space in which clients feel safe and able to explore various parts of themselves with curiosity as opposed to judgement. In addition to her leadership and clinical work, she is passionate about creating art, and learning about the intersection between creativity and mental health.

Kayla Corirossi, MA, LCSW
Site Director, Naperville PHP/IOP (Adolescents & Adults)

Kayla Corirossi, MA, LCSW, is the Site Director of SunCloud Health’s Naperville Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs for adolescents and adults. She brings extensive experience working with individuals across the lifespan, including adolescents, adults, and geriatric populations, and specializes in the treatment of mood disorders, trauma, substance use, family systems, forensic populations, and individuals in crisis.

Kayla has worked in a wide range of clinical and community settings, including community-based interventions, police crisis response, correctional facilities, inpatient treatment, PHP/IOP programs, and with vulnerable and underserved populations. In addition to her clinical and leadership work, she is passionate about providing mental health education and advocacy within the community.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Psychology and Sociology from Aurora University and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Forensic Social Work, also at Aurora University. Her clinical approach is evidence-based, compassionate, trauma-informed, and integrative, emphasizing collaboration and individualized care.

Driven by a personal mission to meet individuals where they are, Kayla is committed to helping clients feel safe, supported, and understood. She strives to create a natural and empathetic healing environment while ensuring individuals from all backgrounds and identities know they are not alone and have access to meaningful resources and support.

Elizabeth E. Sita, MD
Medical Director of Adult Services
Dr. Elizabeth E. Sita, MD, is a Board Certified psychiatrist specializing in the care of patients with eating disorders. She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Chicago and graduated with Highest Honors. She then earned her medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and was recognized with the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Psychiatry. She subsequently completed residency with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, where she was elected Chief Resident and received the Resident Psychiatrist Leadership & Service Award. Upon completing her training, Dr. Sita came to Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, where she served as Assistant Medical Director of the Center for Eating Disorders and Director of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Services before transitioning to lead the new inpatient eating disorder unit as Medical Director of Eating Disorder Services at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital – Chicago. In these roles, she has cared for a multitude of adolescents and adults struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other eating disorders as well as severe, cooccurring mood, trauma, personality, and substance use disorders. Dr. Sita has been recognized throughout her training and practice for a commitment to excellence in patient care and for her ability to engage patients in their most challenging moments. Her passions include the care of treatment-resistant eating and mood disorders as well as questions of medical capacity and end-of-life decision making. She believes that, first and foremost, human connection is key to mental health and well-being and strives to share this philosophy in each and every patient encounter. She is excited to bring her expertise to SunCloud Health as the Medical Director of Adult Services!   VIDEO: Meet Elizabeth E. Sita, MD, Medical Director of Adult Services  
Lacey Lemke, PsyD
Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services

Dr. Lacey Lemke (she/her) is a licensed clinical health psychologist with specialized expertise in the treatment of eating disorders and the practice of medical and health psychology. She completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology with a Primary Care emphasis at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Lemke went on to complete both her predoctoral clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship through Ascension Health, where she gained advanced training working with individuals experiencing eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors, as well as within pediatric subspecialty settings including endocrinology, neurology, and adolescent medicine.

Dr. Lemke is deeply committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate care and collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive treatment. Her professional mission is to support patients in achieving their fullest potential by guiding them to the most appropriate level of care and empowering them to make meaningful, sustainable progress toward improved health and well-being.

VIDEO: 2. Meet Lacey Lemke, PsyD.