Following are answers to frequently asked questions from parents about Mandometer. For more information on eating disorders, refer to our eating disorder, Mandometer Treatment, clinician info or patient info pages, or feel free to contact us.
My child has failed with other eating disorder programs? Can the Mandometer program help?
How is Mandometer different to other eating disorder clinics?
How does the Mandometer device actually work?
How long will my child undergo treatment?
What happens if my child isn't motivated to get better?
What do you mean by being in remission?
How do you determine my daughter's long-term success rate of eating disorder remission?
How much does the Mandometer program cost?
My child has failed with other eating disorder programs? Can the Mandometer program help?
We have many success stories from patients who have failed at least twice prior to entering our eating disorder program. In fact
, families often travel from around the world to be treated at Mandometer Clinics, and consider us to be their 'last chance'.
Sadly, by the time they find us, these patients have usually learned to be extremely skeptical, suspicious and defensive. The good news is that we have the same success rates with these patients as we do with other, more common cases.
So yes, we definitely can help your child.
How is Mandometer different to other eating disorder clinics?
The Mandometer Treatment is different from other clinic's treatments as it dispels the popular theory that correlates eating disorders with mental illness.
At Mandometer we focus on how your child eats rather than what they eat.
We believe that depression and anxiety associated with eating disorders are the result of starvation - they aren't the cause.
The Mandometer Treatment teaches your child how to eat normally again and the Mandometer device is key to this. Once they re-learn how to eat normally, depression and anxiety disappear.
As a result of this changed eating behaviour, your child's thoughts and feelings in food related situations are also normalised.
How does the Mandometer device actually work?
As with many scientific breakthroughs, the idea behind the Mandometer is deceptively simple... it was developed to re-teach your child how to eat properly.
In the early stages of anorexia and bulimia, eating disorder sufferers have to constantly fight their body's natural instincts in order to get and stay thinner. After all, starvation is not a natural state for the body, and all sorts of warning signals have to be ignored and/or overcome.
But very quickly, people with eating disorders learn to fool both their bodies and minds. They convince themselves that tiny portions of food are large, and eventually they can get to the point where they feel full after consuming a forkful of peas.
Over time, accompanying symptoms like lightheadedness, anxiety and depression begin to feel normal. At this stage, the eating disorder sufferer has literally forgotten what it feels like to eat normally, feel full and feel healthy.
The Mandometer device works by allowing your child to remain in control while she regains normal eating patterns, without becoming overweight.
When using the Mandometer device, your child follows several easy ste
ps:
Gradually, the amount of food is increased (with your child's agreement), until they eat normal, healthy amounts of food with a normal eating rate and normal feelings of satieity (fullness).
How long will my child undergo treatment?
On average, treatment takes between four and twelve months. The number of days and hours at the clinic may depend on a number of factors including your childs diagnosis, length of illness and motivation.
The more carefully your child adheres to the treatment program, the more quickly they will become healthy.
Patients come to the Clinic more frequently at the beginning of their treatment in order to adjust their eating behaviour and become acquainted with the routines.
Patients visit the clinic less often as they approach remission.
Patients are also asked to make follow-up visits for a period of five years after they've reached remission, so that they can get help if they need it.
What happens if my child isn't motivated to get better?
While legally parents can force children under 18 to undergo eating disorder treatment, the reality is that no one can be forced to get well. Therefore, the Mandometer Clinic concentrates on motivating your child to be responsive to anorexia treatment and bulimia treatment.
Even when patients enter our program suspicious, unmotivated or in denial, our Eating Disorder Recovery Managers can usually win the patient's trust and stimulate their motivation during the course of eating disorder treatment.
What do you mean by being in remission?
The Mandometer Clinic Eating Disorder Treatment Program has been demonstrated to be extremely effective with 75% of our patients reaching full remission.
By full remission, we mean that your daughter will have regained:
How do you determine my daughter's long-term success rate of eating disorder remission?
For five years after remission, your daughter will be surveyed by specially trained Eating Disorder Recovery Managers during months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60. Various metrics, along with a test meal and relevant questionnaires, are given during these months. The questionnaires are pertinent to their lifestyle and health.
How much does the Mandometer program cost?
Your daughter's eating disorder is unique, just as her treatment will be unique. Treatment costs vary based on several factors including the severity of her illness, the length of her stay and the level of care she requires.
To find out more regarding program costs for your daughter, please call us to discuss her needs in more detail and make an appointment for an assessment.