Lifetime Prevalence of Eating Disorders Among Eating Disorder Professionals
How many professionals that treat eating disorders have a personal history of struggling with an eating disorder? It is a crucial question to ask (and answer) because there are important implications for patient treatment and for the health of the afflicted professionals. It is true that many (or most?) individuals who go into mental health do so because of personal experiences–whether due to their own personal history or the experiences of a loved one–so it is useful to ask, just how common are eating disorders among ED treatment professionals?
This is the question that Nicole Barbarich asked in a survey mailed to 823 members of the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Barbarich developed a 14-item self-report questionnaire that assessed everything from basic demographics to personal eating disorder history and their employer’s hiring policies. Out of 823 potential participants, 399 completed the questionnaire.
SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
Demographics of Survey Responders… Continue reading →