A Review of Partial Hospitalization Programs for the Treatment of Eating Disorders in Adolescents

Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), also referred to as day programs, offer care for adolescents with eating disorders that is more intensive than outpatient treatment but less intensive than inpatient or residential treatment. At most PHPs for eating disorders, treatment is provided by a multidisciplinary team for 6 to 10 hours per day, 5 days per week. Treatment is delivered in group and individual formats and typically consists of a diverse array of interventions from overlapping modalities, including family-based therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, behavioral management, and expressive arts. Most PHPs for adolescents with eating disorders involve caregivers in patient treatment, albeit to varying degrees. Although results vary from program to program, a small number of published studies indicate that most adolescents with eating disorders exhibit significant increases in weight and reductions in eating disorder symptoms by the time of discharge, with some evidence that gains may be maintained at longer-term follow-up. Although more research is warranted, PHPs seem to be filling an important need in the care of some adolescents with eating disorders and may offer certain advantages to both inpatient and outpatient treatment.