Common Comorbidities of Eating Disorders

Contributor: Kirsten Haglund, Community Relations Representative for Timberline Knolls and Founder and President of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation

Eating disorders often do not occur in a vacuum. In fact, a growing number of clinicians and body of research confirms that coexisting mental health conditions can make eating disorder recovery more challenging, leading at times to misdiagnosis, inadequate treatment and relapse.

To de-mystify a bit, in the treatment world, these other mental health conditions can have several names – co-occurring or co-existing disorders, or comorbidities. But more specifically, what are they?

The most common comorbidities of eating disorders can include:

• depression
• bipolar disorder
• panic and anxiety disorders
• post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)
• obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• obsessive compulsive personality disorder (which is different from OCD)
• borderline personality disorder
• sleep disorders
• substance abuse or dependence

Challenges They Pose to Recovery/Risk of Relapse

Many clinicians who treat and care deeply for their patients struggling with eating disorders will be very thorough in coming to a proper diagnosis (whether it is, in fact, an eating disorder as the primary, or something else), and creating a holistic treatment plan accordingly.

Every individual who struggles with food, weight, and body image comes to those struggles from a different path, and therefore a one-size-fits-all treatment methodology can do more harm than good. The deeper, more foundational issue may be trauma, a substance or process addiction, or a mood or personality disorder.

If these conditions are not treated together by a team that is communicating with one another, the revolving door of treatment can occur. This is when the root issues were not addressed and the complex web of issues were not recognized and treated together.

So, recovery became simply a matter of picking the leaves off of the tree and not pulling up the entire root. This can lead to relapse and worsening of symptoms. Eating disorders and their coexisting conditions must be treated together.

Holistic Treatment – Treating the Whole Person

So what does holistic treatment look like? To begin, it is identifying an outpatient team or residential treatment facility committed to treating the whole person, with a staff of qualified experts in each diagnosis area (a multi-disciplinary team). In addition, treatment should include:

• early identification of co-occurring issues
• a highly personalized treatment plan
• close collaboration of medical, clinical and support staff
• inclusion of the family in healing relationships
• focus on the input from and ownership of the individual’s recovery

The relapse and repeated entries to treatment due to misdiagnosis and failing to treat coexisting conditions can make an individual feel shame and hopelessness. But, treatment that includes a holistic and compassionate approach, involving expertise in all areas can help an individual truly break free and reach a full recovery.

For a person or a family who is new to the treatment world, it may feel safer or less life-altering to just focus on treating one issue at a time. However, coming to terms with the complexity and depth of issues involved not only strengthens recovery long term, but also decreases chronicity over one’s lifetime.

Full recovery from an eating disorder and any of its comorbidities is possible and real. Treating the whole person is the priority for anyone who might be struggling, so that rather than staying enslaved to addiction, a disorder or trauma, one might truly break the chains of bondage and go on to live the full, rich life God had always intended for that person.

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About the author: Kirsten Haglund continues to work as an advocate for greater awareness of eating disorders and resources for care. Since she won the crown of Miss America 2008, she has spoken on numerous college campuses, worked with youth and church groups domestically and abroad, lobbied Congress with the Eating Disorders Coalition, and started her own non-profit, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, to raise funds and assist families financially in seeking treatment for eating disorders. She is also the Community Relations Specialist for Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on February 24, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com