Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Home / Carousel / Some health providers see surge in eating disorders

Some health providers see surge in eating disorders

July 29, 2021 by Matt Martinez 2 Comments

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Some warning signs of an eating disorder may include preoccupation with meals, excessive calorie counting and being overly controlling of what is eaten. (stock photo)

Some Milwaukee health leaders say they are seeing a surge in eating disorders that they link to challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Keisha Adams, associate program director for the adolescent medicine fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, said there is a backlog in services. New patients may have to wait until September to be seen, she said.

“Things are getting better on the in-patient side, but like most mental health issues, there aren’t enough resources out there,” Adams said.

Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc is one of the only in-patient eating disorder clinics in the Milwaukee area. (Photo provided by Rogers Behavioral Health)

Across the country, eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa increased dramatically during the pandemic. According to a report from nonprofit data analyst FAIR Health, eating disorders became the fifth most commonly diagnosed mental health issue in August 2020. The National Eating Disorders Hotline saw a 40% jump in calls as of March.

These disorders can be tied to an obsession with weight and body image and present themselves in the form of binge eating or purging food after meals.

“This has been a whole different level of demand,” said Dr. Brad Smith, medical director of Eating Disorder Recovery at Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc. “We’ve stretched about as far as we can to keep getting people in here.”

Medical experts attribute the spike to the lockdown and other stresses created by the pandemic, which they say have caused an increase in mental health issues across the board, including eating disorders.

‘A whole new set of stress’

Bridgett Wilder, a dietitian and owner of Perseverance Health and Wellness located at Walnut Way’s Innovation and Wellness Commons, said isolation and a lack of activity because of the pandemic likely exacerbated pre-existing feelings of depression. In addition, not having a routine or structure during the day also made it difficult to establish healthy eating habits, she said.

Bridgett Wilder is a fitness coach and dietitian at Walnut Way’s Wellness Commons. She tries to implant a positive body image in youth she works with. (Photo provided by Bridgett Wilder)

“It’s a whole new set of stress, but we don’t think about how it’s affecting our eating patterns,” Wilder said. “Now take a teenager who’s still navigating life and now they have to do school online, or they can choose not to sign in to class and their grades get stagnated … that’s a different type of stressor for a youth.”

The Oconomowoc campus of the Rogers Behavioral Health is one of the Milwaukee area’s only options for in-patient eating disorder treatment. Area hospitals refer patients who need long-term help to Oconomowoc. Smith said the center is struggling to keep up with demand despite increasing the number of beds available.

An eating disorder unit at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital in Wauwatosa closed before the pandemic, but Aurora still offers outpatient services.

Smith urged people to seek help from medical professionals, even if they can’t get into a long-term care facility right away. The difference could be lifesaving, Smith said, due to high mortality rates tied to eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate out of any mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. This is due to a combination of starvation and metabolic collapse, as well as higher suicide rates among women particularly with the disorder.

Dr. Brad Smith is medical director of Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc. He urged people with eating disorders to seek help in the short-term if they cannot get into in-patient facilities. (Photo provided by Rogers Behavioral Health)

Adams encouraged people to consult with their primary care physicians and to “build a team” that can help navigate the disorder. This means addressing as many sides of the problem as needed: the medical aspect, the dietary aspect and the therapy aspect, among them.

Smith said most eating disorders can be observed by other people during meal times. Some warning signs of an eating disorder may include a preoccupation with meals, excessive calorie counting and being overly controlling of what is eaten, Adams said.

Wilder stressed the importance of listening to young people who may be dealing with an eating disorder.

“There are things that youth might be going through that they can’t verbalize, but they may punish or reward themselves through food because they don’t have an outlet,” Wilder said.


Where to find help

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, visit any community health center with a behavioral health division.

This includes Outreach Community Health Centers, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Progressive Community Health Centers and Milwaukee Health Services.

REDI Clinic:  2500 N. Mayfair Rd., Sixth Floor (Mayfair Mall). Call 414-727-4455

Hillary Counseling: 1661 N. Water St. Call (414) 333-9969 or visit this webpage and fill out the form to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Rogers Behavioral Health: Visit this webpage for a free screening.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Carousel, Health and Wellness, Home, Neighborhoods, News Tagged With: coronavirus, covid-features

About Matt Martinez

Facebook | More stories from Matt

Matthew, a 2020 Marquette University graduate, joins Milwaukee NNS as part of Report For America, a program that seeks to strengthen local journalism by placing journalists in communities that have a greater need for issues based reporting. Prior to joining NNS, Matt developed his reporting skills at the Marquette Wire, on the investigative desk, covering issues such as housing, human trafficking and health care in the Milwaukee.

Comments

  1. Betsy Holmes says

    August 4, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    as someone w/ lifelong eating disorder (in every single one of its forms), i am concerned that this article over emphasizes the dangers of anorexia–which for me, in large part was a consequence of compulsive/emotional eating–a disorder we all know pandemic has created or exacerbated for many. i fear many ppl in pain will read this article headline w/ a glimmer of hope that will be dashed as they read and thinking ‘oh this is not about me; i’m not anorexic; just bad/worthless/lazy/etc and can’t stop eating.” follow up article focused on compulsive eating and bulimia would be awesome.

    Reply
    • Matt Martinez says

      August 4, 2021 at 1:40 pm

      Betsy,

      Thank you for your thoughts on this. It certainly wasn’t my intention to minimize any eating disorders or reinforce any negative views about them. I included the statistics on anorexia because I wanted to underline how serious the topic was, but didn’t mean to suggest that others were not important to address as well.

      It would be great to hear from you about ways to improve this coverage moving forward. My email is mmartinez@milwaukeenns.org. Thanks again for raising the concern.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

UPDATE: Housing leaders say rental assistance funds are still available for Milwaukee County residents

5 things to know and do the weekend of Jan. 27

These students don’t have to miss school to see the doctor. They can just go down the hall.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in