Improving eating disorder treatment
Donation protected
Eating disorders are pervasive and complex psychological conditions that involve emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive behaviours. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychological disorders.
My name is Ellen* and I am a PhD student training to specialize in eating disorder treatment. Funding for eating disorder research is limited (1) so this Go Fund Me Campaign was developed** to purchase the materials needed for a study on improving treatment for these complex disorders.
About the Study:
More than half of individuals with eating disorders report severe sleep problems, which have been clearly linked to emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive behaviours, as well as an increased risk of developing additional psychological disorders (2).
Despite the obvious overlap in symptoms of eating disorders and sleep problems, clinicians and researchers have not yet tested sleep treatments in eating disorder populations (3).
Finding the most effective and drug-free approach to addressing sleep problems in eating disorder populations may lift the emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive behaviours that keep people stuck in having an eating disorder.
I am testing a specific type of psychotherapy that has been shown to effectively treat sleep problems in the general and various psychiatric populations (4). When this psychotherapy is used in psychiatric populations that also report sleep problems, the results are an improvement in BOTH the sleep and psychiatric symptoms.
This type of psychotherapy involves workbooks and this type of research involves actigraphs (i.e. wearable technology that monitors sleep) to measure the effects of the treatment, which together, can cost up to $3000.
Your donation will go directly to purchasing these materials. For example, a donation of $30 will pay for one workbook for one participant for 10 weeks. A donation of $100 will pay for one actigraph for one participant.
Thank you for your time and support. For more information and resources on eating disorders, please visit NIED, NEDIC, or your resources in your community.
Notes
*Limited information (e.g., university name and program) provided to help protect the identification of future study participants.
**Thank-you, @andrei_roman, for voluntarily using your professional photography skills to make this video.
References
(1) Murray, S. B., Pila, E., Griffiths, S., & Le Grange, D. (2017). When illness severity and research dollars do not align: are we overlooking eating disorders? The World Psychiatric Association, 16(3), 321.
(2) Lombardo, C., Battagliese, G., Venezia, C., & Salvemini, V. (2015). Persistence of poor sleep predicts the severity of the clinical condition after 6 months of standard treatment in patients with eating disorders. Eating Behaviors, 18, 16–19.
(3) Johnson, N. (2017). Sleep problems and eating disorders: Something to sleep on. UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.
(4) Raglan, G. B. Swanson, L. M., Arnedt, J. T. (2019). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in patients with medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 14, 167–175.
My name is Ellen* and I am a PhD student training to specialize in eating disorder treatment. Funding for eating disorder research is limited (1) so this Go Fund Me Campaign was developed** to purchase the materials needed for a study on improving treatment for these complex disorders.
About the Study:
More than half of individuals with eating disorders report severe sleep problems, which have been clearly linked to emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive behaviours, as well as an increased risk of developing additional psychological disorders (2).
Despite the obvious overlap in symptoms of eating disorders and sleep problems, clinicians and researchers have not yet tested sleep treatments in eating disorder populations (3).
Finding the most effective and drug-free approach to addressing sleep problems in eating disorder populations may lift the emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive behaviours that keep people stuck in having an eating disorder.
I am testing a specific type of psychotherapy that has been shown to effectively treat sleep problems in the general and various psychiatric populations (4). When this psychotherapy is used in psychiatric populations that also report sleep problems, the results are an improvement in BOTH the sleep and psychiatric symptoms.
This type of psychotherapy involves workbooks and this type of research involves actigraphs (i.e. wearable technology that monitors sleep) to measure the effects of the treatment, which together, can cost up to $3000.
Your donation will go directly to purchasing these materials. For example, a donation of $30 will pay for one workbook for one participant for 10 weeks. A donation of $100 will pay for one actigraph for one participant.
Thank you for your time and support. For more information and resources on eating disorders, please visit NIED, NEDIC, or your resources in your community.
Notes
*Limited information (e.g., university name and program) provided to help protect the identification of future study participants.
**Thank-you, @andrei_roman, for voluntarily using your professional photography skills to make this video.
References
(1) Murray, S. B., Pila, E., Griffiths, S., & Le Grange, D. (2017). When illness severity and research dollars do not align: are we overlooking eating disorders? The World Psychiatric Association, 16(3), 321.
(2) Lombardo, C., Battagliese, G., Venezia, C., & Salvemini, V. (2015). Persistence of poor sleep predicts the severity of the clinical condition after 6 months of standard treatment in patients with eating disorders. Eating Behaviors, 18, 16–19.
(3) Johnson, N. (2017). Sleep problems and eating disorders: Something to sleep on. UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.
(4) Raglan, G. B. Swanson, L. M., Arnedt, J. T. (2019). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in patients with medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 14, 167–175.
Organizer
Ellen K.
Organizer
Edmonton, AB
