Eating Disorder Unit
Mind Area
What do we do?
The Blue Healthcare Eating Disorder Unit (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) offers a programme of excellence to treat patients early and comprehensively with an innovative, biopsychosocial and humanistic approach which includes:
- Psychological, medical and nutritional aspects
- Family, personal and social difficulties.
The programme has the most advanced psychotherapeutic, medical and endocrinological treatments that enable comprehensive care for the personal difficulties of patients with anorexia or bulimia through a programme that includes medical and psychological consultations, communal dining and a day unit.
The method to achieve these objectives includes:
- Medical-psychiatric study
- Psychological and personality study
- Endocrinological and nutritional care and guidance
- Communal dining
- Comprehensive medical care
- Intensive psychotherapy adapted to each person
- Vocational therapy and occupational guidance
- Companionship and social support
- Social skills training
- Cultural and human values training
- Leisure and free time planning
- School for training and helping families
Services portfolio: A programme for each individual
We have a personalised action protocol based on an initial diagnostic assessment of psychopathological, nutritional, family and personality aspects, as well as social, academic and work aspects for each person who comes to our centre. After the initial assessment, we individually allocate the different therapeutic programmes and devices available to the patient.
Depending on the patient's age and characteristics, there are different therapeutic care options:
- Comprehensive childhood and adolescence treatment programme for patients under 16 years.
- Comprehensive adolescence and young adult eating disorder treatment programme for patients aged 17 to 23 years.
- Comprehensive adult treatment and rehabilitation programme for patients over 24 years.
This form of therapeutic care is designed for the patient to visit for an intensive care approach for several hours a day. It is for patients who do not require hospital admission as in-patients, but who suffer from a significant functional limitation which prevents them from maintaining an adequate academic, work or social life.
These programmes are designed for patients with varying degrees of clinical and functional impairment who can maintain a certain level of academic or work activity. Each programme offers comprehensive and personalised care adapted to the patient’s availability and needs.
Families will be given the necessary information and training so that they can provide the necessary support to patients during the recovery process. For this, workshops and training seminars on different practical areas are held. In addition, we offer personalised treatment for all conflict situations which may be affecting the continuation of the Eating Disorder.
As part of the humanistic and integral treatment there is a programme with various activities aimed at improving social and personal empowerment, the search for identity and the ability to enjoy, as well as activities aimed at rejoining education and vocational and professional guidance.
This is intended to develop each person’s values, strengthen their identity and improve their self-esteem through participation in programmes for personal and social engagement.
Unit manager
Dr Marina Díaz-Marsá
Medical Director of the Mind Area
As well as being Blue Healthcare’s Medical Director, Dr Díaz-Marsá is the head of department of the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid, where she manages the Eating Disorder Unit and the Early Intervention in Psychosis Unit.
Dr Díaz Marsá is the National Director of the Ministry of Health’s mental health strategy for eating disorders, President of the Psychiatric Society of Madrid, and, as part of her teaching experience, she is a full professor. It is worth mentioning her professorial work at the Complutense University of Madrid, and she is an Honorary Professor at the CES University in Colombia. She is President of the Ibero-American Forum on Gender and Mental Health.
She graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1991. She specialised in Psychiatry at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. She graduated cum laude as a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alcalá. Dr Díaz Marsá has an established line of research in the neurobiological bases of anorexia and bulimia and its relationship with trauma and personality. She is a researcher at CIBERSAM and she leads the Master’s course for Eating Behaviour Disorders at the Complutense University. Her experience also covers the field of depression and anxiety and women's mental health. She has received several awards and prizes in the public and private spheres, and is the author of numerous articles in prestigious scientific journals.
