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Health service utilization for eating disorders: Findings from a community‐based study
Author(s) -
Mond Jonathan M.,
Hay Phillipa J.,
Rodgers Bryan,
Owen Cathy
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20382
Subject(s) - eating disorders , psychopathology , mental health , psychiatry , psychology , weight loss , help seeking , medicine , clinical psychology , obesity
Background: Prior use of health services was examined in a community sample of women with bulimic‐type eating disorders. Method: Participants ( n = 159) completed a structured interview for the assessment of eating disorder psychopathology as well as questions concerning treatment‐seeking and type of treatment received. Results: Whereas a minority (40.3%) of participants had received treatment for an eating problem, most had received treatment for a general mental health problem (74.2%) and/or weight loss (72.8%), and all had used one or more self‐help treatments. Where treatment was received for an eating or general mental health problem, this was from a primary care practitioner in the vast majority of cases. Only half of those participants who reported marked impairment associated with an eating problem had ever received treatment for such a problem and less than one in five had received such treatment from a mental health professional. Conclusion: Women with bulimic‐type eating disorders rarely receive treatment for an eating problem, but frequently receive treatment for a general mental health problem and/or for weight loss. The findings underscore the importance of programs designed to improve the detection and management of eating disorders in primary care. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2007