Hundreds of young people with eating disorders to benefit from ‘gold standard’ NHS treatment

 Young people with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are to get rapid access to specialist NHS treatment across England

Read NHS England news here 

Can enhanced CBT help people with eating disorders during COVID-19?

Read Article here

New advice released to support those with eating disorders at Christmas

The NHS and leading eating disorder charity Beat have drawn up new guidance to help people of all ages suffering with an illness and their families cope over the festive season. Click here to read NHS news piece

Government response to "Ignoring the alarms follow-up: too many avoidable deaths from eating disorders"

In June 2019, the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee published its report into avoidable deaths from eating disorders. It contained recommendations across six areas to improve eating disorder services and this report outlines the government's response to the recommendations.  Click here to read further.

Eating disorders in young people

Trends in hospital admissions as a result of eating disorders in young people, by single year of age, England. Read government report here

New eating disorder guidance urges better support for families and carers

The UK’s eating disorder charity Beat has today launched new guidance encouraging healthcare providers to ensure better support for families of people with eating disorders, including by offering an assessment of their own mental health needs and offering access to peer-to-peer support programmes.Click here to go to website

UK Study Identifies Early Warning Signs of Eating Disorders

A new large-scale data study in the UK provides clarity on early warning signs associated with an eating disorder. Swansea University researchers believe their findings will help primary care physicians detect eating disorders earlier in the course of care. To read PsychCentral article click here

Ignoring the Alarms follow-up: Too many avoidable deaths from eating disorders

Inquiry found a serious lack of training for doctors about eating disorders and recommend that GMC use its influence to ensure medical schools improve outcomes in relation to eating disorders. There was also lack of precise information about prevalence of eating disorders. Click here to read report

London racing ahead in treating eating disorders in children quickly

The proportion of children with an eating disorder starting urgent treatment within one week remains far higher in London than the rest of the country, according to data analysed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.  Click here to read further.

Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman - This report of an investigation that found that Averil Hart's death from anorexia would have been avoided if the NHS had cared for her appropriately. It highlights five areas of focus to improve eating disorder services. Click here to read further.

People with eating disorders benefit from specialist CBT and self-help programmes, says NICE

Adults with eating disorders could benefit from specialised cognitive behavioural therapy which aims to help patients better understand their condition, the new NICE draft quality standard says. Click here to read further. 

Detecting Eating Psychopathology in Female Athletes by Asking About Exercise: Use of the Compulsive Exercise Test

Use of the Compulsive Exercise Test. Eur. Eat. Disorders Rev., 25: 618–624. doi: 10.1002/erv.2561.

The present study assessed the suitability of the Compulsive Exercise Test (athlete version; CET-A) for identifying female athletes with clinically significant features related to or comparable with eating psychopathology. Three hundred and sixty-one female athletes (including 12 with a clinically diagnosed eating disorder) completed the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire and the CET-A. Receiver operating curve analysis was employed to identify a cut-off value on the CET-A, which could indicate clinically significant features related to or comparable with eating psychopathology among female athletes. The analysis demonstrated that a CET-A score of 10 successfully discriminated female athletes with a current eating disorder. The results suggest that the CET-A may be a suitable tool for detecting eating psychopathology in female athletes. Additional longitudinal research is needed to evaluate the predictive value of the CET-A.

UHCW Research: Caroline Meyer

Eating disorders: recognition and treatment [NG69]

This NICE guideline covers assessment, treatment, monitoring and inpatient care for children, young people and adults with eating disorders. It aims to improve the care people receive by detailing the most effective treatments for anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.

Athletic identity, compulsive exercise and eating psychopathology in long-distance runners

Eating Behaviors (EAT BEHAV), Aug2017; 26: 129-132

Having a high athletic identity is thought to increase vulnerability for compulsive exercise and Eating Disorder (ED) psychopathology. This study examined whether there is an association between athletic identity and levels of compulsive exercise and ED psychopathology in long-distance runners. A sample of 501 long-distance runners completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) and Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ). There was a significant positive association between participants' AIMS and total CET scores (moderate effect size; r=0.34 for males and 0.33 for females). BMI did not influence the relationship between AIMS and CET scores in males. However, for females, AIMS scores were positively associated with levels of Weight Control Exercise when covarying for BMI (small to moderate effect size, r=0.22). No significant associations with EDEQ scores were found (negligible to small effect sizes; r=0.06 for males and r=0.14 for females). Following replication, coaches might need to be vigilant to the welfare of endurance runners that have a strong athletic identity, since this could be linked to them exercising compulsively. Future work should examine whether having a strong athletic identity predicts ED psychopathology when this identity is challenged (e.g., due to injury).

UHCW Research: Caroline Meyer

Mental health experts criticise new Netflix film about anorexic girl

Mental health experts have said a Netflix trailer for a film about a teenage girl with anorexia could trigger psychological issues for sufferers and should come with a warning.

To the Bone, which is released next month, tells the story of 20-year-old Ellen, who struggles with anorexia and enters a group recovery home for help. But while its director says the film is intended as “a conversation starter about an issue that is too often clouded by secrecy and misconceptions”, critics say the film risks glamourising and trivialising anorexia

Anorexia May Have Both Psychiatric, Metabolic Roots

Scientists have identified the first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa and have discovered that the eating disorder may be partially tied to metabolic factors associated with type I diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

A genetic locus refers to the location or “address” on a chromosome whereby a gene for a particular trait is located.

This powerful genetic study was conducted by the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium Eating Disorders Working Group, an international collaboration of researchers at multiple institutions worldwide. It involved a genome-wide analysis of DNA from 3,495 individuals with anorexia nervosa and 10,982 unaffected individuals.

FREED: A new, early intervention service for young adults with eating disorders

A trial which aims to ensure that young adults with eating disorders receive help and treatment sooner has launched in Leeds.

The Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders, run by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is one of only four sites in the country, and the first outside of London, to be involved in the national FREED study.

It went live in January, in association with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), the Health Foundation, and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, where the team is being led by Ulrike Schmidt.

FREED stands for ‘First Episode and Rapid Early Intervention Service for Young Adults with Eating Disorders’ and is for young people aged 18 to 25 who have developed an eating disorder within the last three years.

Parental strategies used in the family meal session of family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa: Links with treatment outcomes

Int J Eat Disord. 2017 Apr;50(4):433-436. doi: 10.1002/eat.22647. Epub 2016 Nov 7.

Parental verbal eating prompts during the family meal may be effective in promoting short-term weight gain. During the family meal session, parents should be encouraged to maintain a direct focus on their adolescent child's eating behaviour which may assist their child with food consumption and potential weight gain. Further research examining food-based interactions among parents and their adolescent child with AN is needed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:433-436).

UHCW Research: Meyer, C.

How much do young people know about eating disorders?

As part of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, one local Healthwatch launched a survey to understand how much young people know about the issue.

Many Anorexics Need Extended Care for Brain Function

New research discovers that even after weeks of treatment and weight gain, anorexic teenagers need additional time to regain normal brain function.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus said persistent brain alteration puts teen at risk for possible relapse.

In the study, investigators examined 21 female adolescents before and after treatment for anorexia and found that their brains still had an elevated reward system compared to 21 participants without the eating disorder.