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Your Recommendation
Based on your Level of Care Self-Assessment results, you may benefit from:
👉Community-based support for an eating disorder or disordered eating
In addition to:
👉Emotion skills programming or Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
👉Treatment for depression
Understanding Your Recommendation
For Eating Disorder or Disordered Eating Support:
We recommend and your primary care provider explore community-based support options. Community-based support programs do not provide first-line treatment for eating disorders, but they can play an important role in recovery. Community-based support can be helpful for folks with milder symptoms or those at risk of developing an eating disorder. These programs can also be a resource for those who are waiting for treatment or transitioning back home from a higher level of care to help strengthen coping skills, build social support, and improve overall well-being.
For Emotional Skills Programming or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT):
We recommend you and your primary care provider consider a referral to a DBT or emotion skills program as soon as possible. If you have made recent or frequent suicide attempts, or if your self-harm behaviours are frequent or medically risky, you will need treatment for these issues – for example by getting treatment for depression and/or doing DBT treatment. Your eating disorder treatment team will help you decide on the best plan for managing both your suicide or self-harm risk and your eating disorder.
Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Service Providers Available to Ontario Residents:
Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Programs in Ontario (Covered by OHIP)
SCOPE: Additional Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Resources
Virtual drop-in (low barrier) DBT group:
Contact dropindbt@stjosham.on.ca for referral and information. Meeting URLs sent through email upon referral and selection of date and time.
For Treatment of Depression:
We recommend you and your primary care provider talk about your mood and consider treatment options if you are struggling with depression. These options might include medication or online treatment programs such as the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program. Depression can interfere with your ability to work on eating disorder recovery, and limit the joy you experience with recovery.
Service Providers for Depression:
Your primary care provider is your first resource for dealing with depression. Your primary care provider can talk to you about medications or refer you to local treatment resources.
Free, Online Resources Available to Residents of Ontario:
MindBeacon – Guided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Program
TELUS Health Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) program
Available to residents of Ontario and Manitoba
Working with Your Primary Care Provider
We encourage you to share your LoCSA results with your primary care provider. Your primary care provider plays an important role in helping you understand your care options, review medical considerations, and take the next step toward recovery. It can be scary to start this conversation. Usually, it’s best just to be direct: “I am worried about my eating and was hoping to talk with you about treatment options for an eating disorder”.
If you’ve never had a conversation with your primary care provider about your eating disorder or disordered eating concerns, we recommend you check out the resource below to help you prepare the information you might want to share with your primary care provider:
Follow-Up Questions:
Along with your LoCSA results, there are other important factors that can affect which care options may suit you best.
Here are some possible follow-up questions to ask your primary care provider:
“Will I need to take time off work or school for this type of care?”
“Are there local programs or virtual options available?”
“What happens if there is a long waitlist? What can I do while I wait?”
"I’m not sure I feel ready to recover or commit to this level of care — What supports can help me get started?””
“I’ve tried _____care before — what are my options if that wasn’t a good fit?”
Want to Talk Through Your Options First?
If you’d prefer to speak with someone about your care options before connecting with a primary care provider — or if your provider isn’t familiar with eating disorder supports — the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) can help.
Their trained support workers can listen, provide information, and guide you through available resources.
Live Chat: www.nedic.ca
Helpline: 1-866-NEDIC-20 (or 416-340-4156 in Toronto)
What if I Don’t Have a Primary Care Provider?
If you don't currently have a primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner), Health Care Connect is a free program from the Ontario Ministry of Health that can help you find one.
Resources to Explore:
What You Can Do While Waiting for Treatment
Talking To Your Primary Care Provider About Medical Monitoring:
While you're accessing support, it's important that your primary care provider is keeping track of your physical health. This medical monitoring can help keep you safe.
To support your primary care provider in this process, we recommend sharing this resource with them:
When to Seek Emergency Care
Eating disorders can cause serious medical complications. You should go to the emergency department if you experience:
Very slow, irregular, or racing heartbeat
Chest pain or pressure
Fainting or dizziness upon standing
Severe headache, confusion, or seizures
Severe muscle cramps or weakness
Vomiting blood or severe abdominal pain
Very little or very dark urine
Swelling in limbs
Suicidal thoughts or not feeling safe
For those with Type 1 Diabetes: High blood sugars associated with the presence of ketones; symptoms of DKA such as stomach pain, shortness of breath, feeling sick, feeling tired, sleepy or confused.
When in doubt, go to the emergency room. It's always better to be safe.
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