Treatment of food phobia is a combination of anxiety alleviation and a careful re-introduction of food. Begging, pleading, threatening, cajoling, or rewarding do not usually alter the course of this illness.
Most patients who come to us for food phobia treatment have already been seen by some combination of their own doctor, a gastroenterologist, a speech therapist, a psychologist, a throat surgeon or an occupational therapist. Often this leads to surgical interventions or, worse, admission into a child psychiatric ward, both of which are completely unnecessary (and useless) and needlessly traumatizing to a young child.
Food phobia in children responds very effectively to treatment if administered by eating disorder specialists such as those in our food phobia treatment program. It is essential that parents (and their primary care provider) understand that not all eating disorder treatment programs have sufficient experience treating food phobia in children. Symptoms and treatment are very different from pediatric patients and require specialized protocols.
For more information about our food phobia treatment program, please call us at 971-319-6800 and speak to our intake coordinators. You may also submit an online request below. We answer all inquiries promptly.
