How Eating Disorder Treatment Needs to Change

by Cristina D’Alto

Sadly, only 10% of people have access to specialized care that is necessary for successful and complete recovery. A variety of factors might contribute, but the foundation of the lack of care is in how unreachable it tends to be — whether the barrier is cost or recognition of the problem. 

When my family talks about my recovery, they talk about my strength and resilience. What they forget is my luck. If I didn’t fall into the right home, I may have never accessed treatment at all, nevermind having the opportunity to find the right therapist. To give more people the ability to recover that I had, we need a systematic and cultural shift. Systematically, more accessible options are crucial for tMy first attempt at recovering from my eating disorder went terribly. I started at an out-patient program that offered group classes and therapy. For me, the group setting brought on overwhelming feelings of comparison and self-judgement. I dug my heels in and refused to go, sparking fights with my parents and putting a roadblock in recovery. Two parts of my life, given to me by chance, enabled me to get better regardless. Firstly, my family had the resources to look at therapists beyond those covered by our insurance. Particularly in the eating disorder specialization, treatment within insurance is limited and that outside of insurance is extremely expensive. Secondly, I was not alone in my resolve to get better; at the beginning, my parents were even more determined than I was to watch me overcome the battle and pushed to do whatever it took. 

“It’s time to do eating disorder recovery differently”, a Ted Talk by Kristie Amadio, discusses inaccessible treatment. In reference to the cost, Amadio cites her own experience. To attend a live-in facility, she had to pay $1,200 per day. That means that $40,000 paid for only 3 weeks of treatment — inarguably not nearly enough time to recover. Such high costs leaves those looking for treatment stuck between sacrificing their health and emptying out their savings. Individuals often walk away and try to deal with the problem alone, effectively submitting to their eating disorder. In this way, healing is only available to a certain level of wealth and privilege.

In addition to the cost, many are deprived of appropriate treatment because of the widespread undermining of eating disorders. Most of us have heard accusations of eating disorders being faked “for attention” or functioning as means to be “skinny”. While these ideas are terribly incorrect, they perpetuate the idea that eating disorders are a niche issue, suffered by confused people. In reality, eating disorders are the mental illness with the highest mortality rate. That sounds almost impossible, but it is a fact I heard over and over again during phases of resisting help. Amadio’s Ted Talk presents data surrounding the limited scope of treatment. To understand just how intense this problem is, compare eating disorder prevalence to breast cancer — an illness we commonly hear about. In 2012, 34,000 Americans died from breast cancer; in the same year, America lost 300,000 to eating disorders. This statistic is shocking, leading us to ask why so many fall to their eating disorder. I believe popular dismissal of the seriousness and prevalence of eating disorders is to blame. When a person struggling with an eating disorder hears that eating disorders are ‘a choice’, or experiences the stigma surrounding the eating disorder, it only adds to the struggle.  It  makes a person question why they are unable to control disordered thoughts and behaviors, whether they are being ‘dramatic’, and may be convinced it is easily-fixable. For me, I was deterred from seeking treatment for months after realizing my tendencies weren’t normal or healthy.

Tragically, most go untreated. 20% of global cases die without treatment; that’s 14 million people. In fact, only 10% of people get help. Tying back to my story, only 35% of that hose who can’t afford specialized care. Culturally, the world must recognize the scale of eating disorders and be compassionate towards those struggling. With these changes, people with eating disorders will feel more powerful in approaching treatment, and get the help they deserve. As Kristie Amadio said, it is time to change the way we do eating disorder recovery.