THE ROLE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Eating Disorders are on the increase in Northern Ireland. As a professional working within the community - either privately or statutory - it is vital to ensure that you are aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, NICE guidelines as well as all routes to effective and specialised treatment. Dieticians, Social Workers, Nurses, Counsellors etc. would all benefit from accessing the support and information that is available at the Eating Disorders Network in order to provide effective, long term care for individuals suffering from eating distress.

EATING DISORDER TREATMENT NEEDS SPECIALIST CARE BY SPECIFICALLY QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS

•  Click on Information to download 'TRAINING OUTLINE' ; an outline of our training day for professionals.

Role of the GP

GPs act as the ‘gatekeepers’ to specialist services and it is thus important that they identify and refer cases appropriately. NICE recommends that patients are engaged and treated as early as possible, and certainly, in the case of Anorexia, before weight loss becomes severe.

In practice, an Anorexia patients weight might fall far below the diagnostic criterion before help becomes available. A tendency for GPs to monitor a patients condition rather than opting for immediate referral might exacerbate this. A key component to early detection is the practice of the GPs querying patients about their eating habits even when they visit with other complaints. This applies to patients of all ages, as eating disorders may pass unrecognised in those outside the typical ‘at-risk’ age group. Due to the high level of media attention which Anorexia receives, we at the Eating Disorders Network believe it is appropriate to raise GPs awareness of the fact that most eating disorder cases are not Anorexia, and might occur in people who are not significantly underweight.

• Click on Information to download 'NICE GUIDELINES'; guidelines recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence for eating disorders.

CONTACT THE EATING DISORDERS NETWORK TODAY TO RECEIVE A FULL VERSION OF THE NICE GUIDELINES OR TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU, AS A PROFESSIONAL CAN HELP INDIVIDUAL SUFFERERS RECEIVE APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AND SUPPORT.