Nine Truths: Historic Collaboration

It's historic. Thirteen eating disorders organizations agreed on nine basic facts about eating disorders. Not two organizations and one fact. Not rainbow unicorn facts, either, but real central principles. And: they did it in weeks, not months or years of negotiation. They decided to do it and they did. All the organizations came together and published a set of nine facts about eating disorders.

AGREED. TOGETHER. IN PUBLIC.

IT IS FANTASTIC.

I am very proud of the field, of the specific leaders who made this happen, and especially of F.E.A.S.T. for being at that table and part of the collaboration. This is the kind of movement forward that the eating disorders field needs.

As I said to colleagues in the field yesterday none of these facts should be controversial within the field, but they do represent very important messages to the public and to policy-makers and to families.

I know that some of the ideas on the list will not please all eating disorder advocates and treatment providers. That's unfortunate but also necessary. It is time to find and normalize some basic concepts. When a family seeks care for a loved one they deserve to see these nine facts reflected in the treatment they receive. Those looking to enter the field should be able to see these ideas reflected in their training. Policy-makers, too, should know that these facts are agreed upon by major eating disorder organizations and represent the cutting edge of thinking.

Until this statement I do not believe there has been a single message shared across all of those organizations. Now we have nine. It's a good day. A really good day.

Comments

  1. The field is changing because patients and carers are insisting it must. Yay us!!!

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  2. I am very pleased with this document and I applaud those who have worked together to make this happen. It is very important to have a public health message such as this one to combat the myths that are still so pervasive.

    However, I am surprised and disappointed that there was no mention of food in this list. Eating disorders, by definition, involve disturbances in food intake. Perhaps that part is self-evident.

    Normalization of food intake is essential to recovery for all eating disorders, and nutritional support and stabilization are crucial components of treatment which should be commenced immediately after diagnosis and supported throughout the entire recovery process. If I could, I'd at that as a 10th Truth.


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  3. I noted this as well. The original Nine Myths that these come from didn't include that either.

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