Eating Disorders Program

Who we are

Eating disorders can be extremely hard on both teens and on their families. Here at Boston Children’s Hospital, our Eating Disorders Program unites specialists in Adolescent Medicine, mental health services and nutrition to care for your child’s unique needs, from the medical and the nutritional to the psychological.

Each year, we evaluate and provide ongoing care to hundreds of adolescents struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders. We have a range of services available to help teens, including consultation, medical evaluation, medical treatment, mental health consultation, nutrition evaluation and counseling and psychiatric evaluation.

Health and your community

We all know that good nutritional habits and adequate exercise are important, but social and physical environments can also play a big part in staying healthy. Boston Children’s researchers Tracy Richmond, MD, and S. Bryn Austin, ScD, are investigating how school and community settings affect adolescent nutrition, physical activity and risk of eating disorders—and are working to design and evaluate school- and community-based programs that encourage healthy nutritional habits.

Youth and media

Everywhere young people look, they’re bombarded with images generated by the media of what they “should” look like. Almost always, these images have been manipulated and touched up. Today’s youth see these pictures everywhere, from the covers of their favorite magazines to ads on TV, and it’s clear that these images can contribute to a negative body image, which in some cases can increase the chance of an adolescent developing an eating disorder. Learn more about Boston Children’s Center on Media and Child Health.