A coroner in Cambridgeshire has identified seven issues that contributed to the death of a teenager with anorexia, which highlights the need for further research into the devastating condition.
The death of 19-year-old Averil Hart from anorexia nervosa is a tragedy that highlights the need for greater understanding of eating disorders so that they can be better understood, effectively treated and one day prevented.
The need to find answers about eating disorders is understood all too well by MQ ambassador and anorexia survivor Hope Virgo:
“It is absolutely heart-breaking that people with eating disorders are still dying because they aren’t getting the care they need. Eating disorders are not about BMI, or about weight, they are not a choice but are serious mental illnesses that are massively misunderstood. I lived with anorexia from the age of 13 and was lucky to get the treatment I needed to get well, but it is a complete injustice that others don’t have that same access to treatment. I still cannot quite believe that in 2020 people are still dying due to their eating disorder when there is so much that could be done to prevent this. We all know that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate out of any psychiatric illness but yet eating disorders are still massively misunderstood and stigmatised.”
"Eating disorders are not about BMI, or about weight, they are not a choice but are serious mental illnesses that are massively misunderstood."
The importance of early identification
BEAT Eating Disorders (formerly the Eating Disorder Association) estimate that 1.25 million people in the UK are affected by eating disorders. While the majority of people living with eating disorders are women, men make up around 25% of those diagnoses.
Early intervention is crucial. The sooner a healthcare professional can diagnose someone struggling with an eating disorder, the sooner they can receive effective treatment leading to a faster recovery. Further research into eating disorders will result in better tools for medical professionals, teaching staff and carers for identifying issues early, as well as identifying effective treatments for a faster recovery.
Hope said: "I developed anorexia when I was 13 years old, but it was only when I was 17years old that I was admitted to a mental health hospital to get the care I needed. By this point, all those patterns of behaviour were so ingrained in my head that my recovery time took so much longer. Going into hospital helped me to accept that I needed support but also gave me a structure and routine that I needed.
"The thing about eating disorders is the longer we leave them, the more ingrained those behaviours are. This is why we must get in there as early as possible."
"The thing about eating disorders is the longer we leave them, the more ingrained those behaviours are. This is why we must get in there as early as possible. I was fortunate with the treatment I received, but unfortunately in 2016, when I relapsed, I was faced with a challenge about where to go. My Grandma passed away, and I was consumed by guilt, fear and I felt so trapped in trying to be okay for everyone else. I reached out for support only to be told I wasn’t “thin enough” for services. I left the appointment and hated what was going on, I hated my brain, hated the situation and felt like this completely fake anorexic person. Luckily, after a few weeks of struggling, my support network stepped in. I ended up going on anti-depressants to try and help. But for this is not and should not be a solution. We need to ensure people get the support and care they deserve to get well."
Development of new treatments
There is no single reason why someone may develop an eating disorder - it can be the result of a combination of genetic, psychological, environmental, social and biological factors. While they can be severe mental health conditions they are also treatable and, although it may take a long time, full recovery is possible.
Treatment usually consists of monitoring a person’s physical health while addressing the underlying psychological problems with psychological therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or family therapy. Psychiatrists may prescribe a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat bulimia nervosa or binge eating.
The ultimate aim of mental health research is prevention.
MQ Mental Health is funding research at UCL, run by Dr Clare Llewellyn from the department of Behavioural Science and Health. Clare's findings could help inform parents on healthy eating practices and offer the opportunity for early detection of eating disorders through screening programmes. The results could even inform the development of new treatments, like drugs targeting appetite.
Ultimately, this work will provide new knowledge about the emergence of these debilitating conditions – and how we could prevent them from developing.
Hope said: "Eating disorders are illnesses that are massively misunderstood and often side-lined. We often think it only affects white teenage girls and that it is a diet gone wrong. But Anorexia is a mental illness that needs proper treatment and support. I am so happy to see researchers stepping up to tackle this area, and I am hopeful that others will follow suit. When the statistics show the high mortality rate, it is important to work out how best to respond, and not to shy away from it."
"We often think it only affects white teenage girls and that it is a diet gone wrong. But Anorexia is a mental illness that needs proper treatment and support"
Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness in young people. And these conditions are a huge public health problem costing the UK around £15 billion a year. We must find ways to prevent this condition from affecting and taking even more lives.
You can find out more about Dr Clare Llewellyn's research here.
