The existing behavioral healthcare paradigm tends to focus on specialized treatment for a primary diagnosis. Ongoing research indicates that such models of care may be doing a half-measure for patients, particularly in eating disorder management. A lack of attention to comorbidities can lead to fragmented and inefficient treatment, ultimately leading to lesser outcomes. Practitioners in this specific field are now advocating for a reassessment of the system. Their goal: holistic care and the infrastructure to support it.
THE MANY FACES OF EATING DISORDERS
Psychologists recognize six distinct conditions on the spectrum of eating disorders:
- Pica
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Rumination Disorder
- Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
- Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Recent studies also show anywhere from 50-95% of people diagnosed with any of the above present additional behaviors consistent with:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma-related conditions
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
However, the criteria to define and guide eating disorder treatment were developed using patient profiles without co-occurring disorders. Typical in these cases, treatment targeted the eating disorder but left other conditions untreated.
As a result, coexisting disorders are often aggravated without a whole-person perspective. The patient is often forced to see disparate care providers for each disorder, sometimes without coordinated communication to treat the entirety of a crisis. And patients’ families — those who spend the most time experiencing the patients’ behavior — end up bearing a burden they are not always equipped to handle. As a result of this inefficient system, researchers from the University of California Los Angeles and the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior have found approximately 30-50% of people treated for an eating disorder will relapse during the first year of treatment.
A MORE EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO CARE
In one model, outlined by Equip CEO Kristina Saffran, providers begin by taking a comprehensive initial assessment in which clinicians screen for signs of multiple behavioral health conditions to develop a complete patient profile. Instead of treating each condition in separate environments by separate providers, all practitioners would be part of a coordinated care network. Extenuating factors such as neurodivergence and trauma are included within the treatment protocols, and all disorders are treated simultaneously.
Saffran acknowledges that this sort of innovation will take a dramatic shift in the way behavioral healthcare currently functions. All caregivers, insurers, and research scientists must first align around whole-person care to ensure the most effective networks for patients, which takes time and effort. However, eating disorders are considered among the deadliest of mental illnesses, killing an estimated 10,000 people each year, which underlines the urgency of making these investments.
Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91555199/why-treating-one-behavioral-health-diagnosis-at-a-time-fails