Eating Disorders/
Medical-Behavioral Disorders Unit

Specializing in family-based therapy.

Medical West Unit 

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and the University of California, San Diego have joined forces to open the only child and adolescent medical/behavioral inpatient unit in San Diego. The unit, called Medical West, treats children and adolescents who have medical conditions, along with behavioral or psychological problems.

Medical West is staffed by a team of professionals with medical, mental health and behavioral health expertise, including specialized experience in treating eating disorders. Our staff includes nurses, social workers, licensed psychiatric technicians, dietitians, and physicians from the hospitalist, adolescent medicine and child psychiatry services.

Eating Disorders Treatment

The Medical West Unit provides inpatient care for children, adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders. These patients include those who have abnormal cardiovascular function or are severely underweight and require nutrition intervention and monitoring under expert care.

The Eating Disorders Treatment team is led by world-renowned authorities on eating disorders: Walter Kaye, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, and Kerri Boutelle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, both at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Medical treatment is managed by adolescent medicine specialists Joyce Adams, M.D., and Karen Loper, M.D.

Our care includes:

• A complete medical examination and evaluation by an adolescent medical specialist, focused on detecting complications of the eating disorder and determining the optimal weight range for each patient. Treatment will be started for any medical complication, such as severe malnutrition, very low heart rate, low blood pressure, dehydration, or abnormal electrolytes. The specialist sees the patient daily and works with the team to make any changes in the treatment plan.
• Dietary assessment by a registered dietitian and an individualized meal plan to restore weight and physical health
• Fully supervised meals
• Behavioral interventions to restore weight in anorexia and stop the binge/purge cycle of bulimia
• Therapy groups using evidence-based and best-practice treatments, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

After patients are stabilized, we offer them outpatient care at the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, located in La Jolla.

Click on the Eating Disorders Treatment link on the left to learn more.

Medical-Behavioral Disorders Treatment

This 12-bed unit treats patients with acute medical/behavioral emergencies, such as suicide attempts, severe depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses with significant physical complications or concurrent medical conditions. For example, patients with somatoform and factitious disorders with unclear medical symptoms that require further investigation would be treated here. Click here to learn more.