Reducing the burden of suffering from eating disorders: Unmet treatment needs, cost of illness, and the quest for cost-effectiveness

Objective The aim of this study was to explore characteristics and treatment‐seeking intentions of consumers accessing an online resource for eating disorders support, Reach Out and Recover (ROAR). Factors associated with treatment‐seeking intent among visitors to ROAR were also examined. Method Participants were 200 visitors to the website aged 18 to 60 plus. The majority of participants (93.5%) identified as women. Responses to self‐report questions assessing treatment‐seeking intention, eating disorder symptoms and their impact on health, and attitudes to treatment were collected. Results Participants experienced a range of eating disorder symptoms, yet the majority (86.0%) was not receiving treatment. Importantly, of those not in treatment, the majority (82.6%) indicated that they planned to get treatment. In addition, more than half of participants (52.9%) downloaded a report to present to their health practitioner to facilitate communication with a health professional. Intention to seek treatment and download of the report were positively associated with motivation to change, confidence to achieve change, greater frequency of binge eating, and greater recognition of the impact of eating disorder symptoms on relationships and well‐being but not with stigma or ambivalence. Discussion Study findings indicated that the ROAR website was accessed by individuals for whom it was designed, namely those experiencing eating disorder symptoms who are not receiving treatment. Encouragingly, participants had strong intentions to seek treatment, and the majority downloaded a report that could be used to facilitate the first step toward treatment. Greater focus on enhancing motivation and confidence to change may further promote treatment‐seeking.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reach Out and Recover: Intentions to seek treatment in individuals using online support for eating disorders

McLean

Caldwell

Roberton

2019

“…Given that EDs are likely to go undiagnosed or untreated (Hart, Granillo, Jorm, & Paxton, 2011; Weissman & Rosselli, 2017), it is possible that sisters are not truly discordant; sisters identified as not having prior ED diagnosis may have an ED that has gone undiagnosed or was not captured in our sampling design. This may bias our findings toward the null hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in reproductive outcomes of women with histories of bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified relative to the general population and closest‐aged sisters

Tabler

Utz

Smith

et al. 2018

Clinicians should consider ED type and family fertility histories when addressing the long-term reproductive health needs of women with prior AN, BN, or EDNOS diagnosis. Women previously diagnosed with AN or EDNOS likely experience the greatest reductions and delays in reproduction across their lifespan. Reproductive health screenings may be especially critical for the wellbeing of women with a history of AN or EDNOS.

“…It is well-known that most individuals with an ED do not seek medical treatment (Striegel Weissman & Rosselli, 2017). Moreover, only a minority of EDs cases are detected by general practitioners (Mangweth-Matzek & Hoek, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ED-related hospitalizations trends in Portugal from 2000 to 2014 only a fraction of the overall cost(de Oliveira et al, 2017). Charges measures vary significantly, which does not allow to extrapolate information and draw firm conclusions(Striegel Weissman & Rosselli, 2017). EDs are associated with substantial economic burden for patients who suffer from these kind of illnesses as well as their families and the society, being hospitalizations a major portion of medical charges.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Eating disorders—Related hospitalizations in Portugal: A nationwide study from 2000 to 2014

Cruz

Gonçalves‐Pinho

Santos

et al. 2018

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that incidence of Anorexia nervosa (AN) has remained stable over the last decades in Western Europe, while decreasing for Bulimia nervosa (BN). It is well-known that most individuals with an ED (Eating disorder) do not seek medical treatment.Objective: The present study analyses hospitalizations related with EDs held in mainland Portuguese public hospitals between 2000 and 2014.Method: A retrospective observational study was performed gathering all inpatient episodes with primary or secondary diagnosis of ED. Number of patients, gender, mean age at discharge, suicide-attempts related hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and mean charges were analyzed.Results: There were a total of 4,485 hospitalizations with an associated ED. AN was the most frequent ED (n = 2,806). Suicide attempt-related hospitalizations were most common among patients with BN (10.1% of BN hospitalizations) or AN (5.2% of AN hospitalizations).Discussion: AN has higher in-hospital mortality than BN. We observed a higher proportion of suicide related hospitalizations in BN when compared to AN. Although pica, rumination disorder, and psychogenic vomiting represent a smaller portion of all EDs, this study was the first to describe hospitalization trends for this set of EDs for a 15-year period, to the best of our knowledge.