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Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD is a psychologist in Boston, MA specializing in psychology. Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital.
2 Longfellow Place Suite 200
Boston, MA 02114
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
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Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are mental and physical illnesses that impact behavior, emotions, and thoughts about eating, food, body appearance, and weight. These disorders are characterized by preoccupations with food and physical size, resulting in dramatic lifestyle changes and adverse health effects. In the past, eating disorders were often diagnosed using BMI (body mass index), or by assessing someone's weight. Eating disorders specialists now recognize that eating disorders may occur in people of all sizes. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder (BED).
Anorexia nervosa, frequently referred to as anorexia, is a disorder where people severely restrict the types and quantity of food they eat. Those with anorexia have an extreme fear of eating and gaining weight and may repeatedly weigh themselves or engage in harmful behaviors such as excessive exercise or starvation. Those with anorexia often find themselves preoccupied with food, but unable to consume a healthy amount of it. This results in symptoms such as abnormally low BMI, vitamin deficiency, fatigue, fainting, and amenorrhea (lack of menstruation in women). Anorexia may cause bluish discoloration of the hands, brittle and falling out hair, yellowish skin, and lanugo (fine, downy hair). Left untreated, anorexia can lead to organ failure, brain damage, and even death.
Bulimia nervosa, typically called bulimia, is a disorder where people binge (eat large quantities of food) and purge the food that they just consumed by vomiting, laxative abuse, fasting, or excessive exercise. This behavior is usually motivated by a feeling of powerlessness over eating and a fear of weight gain or desire for weight loss. Bulimia can occur in underweight, normal weight, and overweight people. Symptoms of bulimia include acid reflux, intestinal distress, dehydration from purging, amenorrhea, and dental erosion from vomiting. Some people with bulimia have swollen parotid glands (salivary glands near the cheeks) and red scars and marks on the backs of their knuckles. Electrolyte imbalance from bulimia can be particularly severe and may lead to heart attack or stroke.
Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder. People with BED feel that they are unable to control the amount of food they eat and may continue to binge after reaching a point of fullness. BED binges (consuming large amounts of food) are often accompanied by feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame. Symptoms of BED include obesity, acid reflux, weight gain, and dissatisfaction with one's body. People with BED tend to experience cycles of negative emotions and binges. Binges or BED episodes can be provoked by stress, boredom, restrictive dieting, depression, and other triggers.
Other common eating disorders include:
Many people with eating disorders do not consciously develop them, and have difficulty seeking treatment. For this reason, it's important to detect and treat eating disorders as early as possible. Treatment for eating disorders can vary from therapy visits to inpatient treatment, depending on the disorder and its severity. Treatment aims to not only restore physical health and correct negative behaviors, but to also promote psychological well-being and self-confidence.
She has a state license in Massachusetts.
Licensed In: Massachusetts
Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:
Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD appears to accept the following insurance providers: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, MultiPlan, Tufts Health Plan, Aetna, TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, Humana, Railroad Medicare, Coventry, Blue California, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions (United Behavioral Health), Beech Street, WellPoint, Evernorth Behavioral Health, Medicare ACO, WellSense, Senior Whole Health, Commonwealth Care Alliance, Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare, MassHealth and WellSense NH.
According to our sources, Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD accepts the following insurance providers:
Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD has a high overall rating with an average of 3.67 out of 5 stars based on 3 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Jennifer Joanne Thomas, PHD from all over the web to help you find the right in Boston, MA.
My experience with Dr. Thomas left me feeling paranoid, unheard, and anxious. My experience differs from most people's, given that I never had an ED. I was referred to Dr. Thomas after experiencing health problems and happened to be underweight. Although I repeatedly told Dr. Thomas that I did not have issues with weight and food, she diagnosed me as anorexic just for being underweight. She also refused to listen to my point of view; whenever I mentioned to her that the diagnosis was not correct, she would tell me my "anorexia" was talking instead of owning up to her error. In addition to not hearing me and falsely diagnosing me as anorexic, she was also really mean to me and seemed to gain satisfaction from it. She told me I looked like an eight-year-old and would say, "it seems like your anorexia hates me," whenever I told her she wasn't being nice. Additionally, her treatment method was extremely harsh, given that it involved having my parents take full control of my eating. While I never had issues with food, I got frustrated at mealtimes because my parents were treating me like an infant. Dr. Thomas never acknowledged this and insisted that my resistance was a symptom of anorexia. Additionally, she had terrible manners and had absolutely no filter with me. If you have an eating disorder, I strongly encourage you to see someone who will compassionately encourage you to recover, and not someone like her. The things she said to me still hurt me today. Needless to say, I do not recommend.
Dr. Thomas is a highly skilled provider. I am a colleague of Dr. Thomas and have worked with her on many cases. She goes the extra mile to ensure a patient is well taken care of and understands the treatment they are doing with her. She collaborates not only with a patients medical team but with the patient themselves.
I am a colleague of Dr. Thomas' and as a psychiatrist, I have shared many patients with Dr. Thomas. She is a masterful clinician and brilliant researcher. She is empathic, sensitive, and uses her command of evidenced-based practices to help patients achieve meaningful change.
Dr. Jennifer Thomas is a psychology specialist in Boston, MA. She has a special interest in eating disorders. Dr. Thomas's average rating from her patients is 3.5 stars (out of 5). She most likely takes Blue California, Coventry, and Viant, as well as other insurance carriers. She is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. According to Massachusetts General Hospital, new patients are welcome to contact her office in Boston, MA.
