New Research Offers Insights on Eating Disorder Treatment
Eating disorders rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, among other mental health concerns. Because they often accompany other behavioral health conditions, it is important for all behavioral health clinicians to be aware of eating disorder risks and signs.
New research and other findings continue to shed light on the best ways to prevent, identify, and treat disordered eating.
Electrolyte abnormalities could signal an eating disorder.
While it seems obvious that individuals with an eating disorder would struggle with electrolyte imbalances, research suggests the opposite may also be true. A new study compared electrolyte imbalances among 6,970 individuals in Ontario, aged 13 and older, with 27,878 individuals without an eating disorder.
All participants had undergone at least one outpatient electrolyte test between 3 years and 30 days before their eating disorder diagnosis (or a randomly assigned date, for the control group). However, among those with an eating disorder diagnosis, the median time between the earliest electrolyte abnormality diagnosis and eating disorder diagnosis was 386 days.
Published Nov. 8 in JAMA Network Open, the study found that several electrolyte imbalances were associated a higher risk of eating disorder. These imbalances included hypokalemia (low potassium), hyperkalemia (high potassium), hyponatremia (low sodium), hypernatremia (high sodium), hypophosphatemia (low phosphorus), and metabolic alkalosis (high bicarbonate or high pH in the body). This may help clinicians identify clients who may need to be screened for an underlying eating disorder.
TikTok is massively popular—and a massive risk for eating disordered teens.
Many TikTok users post videos about food, nutrition, and weight. Often these posts focus on weight loss and the use of food to lose weight and improve health. In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers examined TikTok content that focuses on body-image and weight-loss.
They found that some of the most popular body image-related hashtags on TikTok include #weightloss and #skinny. However, few of these posts come from health and nutrition experts. This may contribute to a skewed view of weight loss and could encourage disordered eating among TikTok users. For example, the #whatieatinaday hashtag has become so weight-focused that it now includes a trigger warning and a link to the National Eating Disorder Association’s help line.
Clinicians, especially those with younger clients, may want to consider strategies to address the content their clients consume on TikTok. This may include discussing nutrition information and how to manage social media consumption.
Rural Areas Lack Eating Disorder Treatment
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that emergency department visits for eating disorders among teenage girls doubled across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has become a significant problem in more rural states that have fewer behavioral health resources.
For example, there are only two certified providers in all of Montana, according to the National Eating Disorders Association’s database. Many behavioral health clients leave their states, or drive hours for therapy and other treatment.
Launching an eating disorder treatment center can be difficult in less populated states. These areas may lack licensure processes or insurance coverage. It is also difficult to find and attract providers with the necessary specialization to provide care, from medical stabilization to group therapy. This creates a huge opportunity for options such as telehealth, although outcomes tend to be better with a combination of in-person and remote treatment methods.
If your behavioral health organization provides eating disorder treatment services, the right tools can help prepare you for an increased demand. With options like telehealth and medication management, BestNotes EHR has been designed to make your behavioral health organization function more efficiently. Contact us today to schedule your free demo!