Hope for victims of eating disorders in Britain

Apr 8 2007

The British government is investing £2 million into research to improve the treatment for people with eating disorders.

Experts estimate that over a million people in the UK have an eating disorder but less than 10% of sufferers receive help.

They say anorexia is the biggest killer of any psychiatric disorder; Department of Health, figures show as many as 15% of cases result in death.

Anorexia can be difficult to diagnose because victims are often not aware they are seriously ill and the money will mean more anorexics will now be able to access treatment and more research can be conducted into ways of recognising and treating victims before the disease takes hold.

The researchers at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry plan to target mothers with eating disorders and women with reproductive problems.

Health minister Rosie Winterton said the research will help combat the deeply worrying trend of young girls wanting to be "size zero" models.

Pressure to conform to a "size zero" model look is widely blamed by specialists as a key factor in the prevalence of the disorder.

Current treatment relies on specialists attempting to address underlying psychological issues behind the anorexia by using cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) which endeavours to change the way the sufferer thinks about a situation and how they react to emotional triggers.

The new research will also aim to develop new forms of treatment targeted at sufferers with special needs, including mothers with eating disorders and women with reproductive problems.

The research funding has been awarded to the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, in partnership with the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and the eating disorder charity Beat which is based in Norwich.

Professor Ulrike Schmidt, consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital and Professor of Eating Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, says he is optimistic that in five years time new treatments for anorexia will be available which will make a lasting and positive difference to the lives of sufferers and their families.