Anorexia nervosa kills more young people than any other mental disorder, yet doctors have no reliable way to tell who is at risk, who is in the early stages, and who needs intensive treatment. This project aims to build that missing map. Eating disorders affect one in six young women and one in 20 young men, mostly between ages 15 and 24, but current treatments are only moderately effective and early intervention remains guesswork. The researchers will work with young people to define distinct illness stages—at-risk, early, and late—and track how symptoms change over time using data from activity monitors, smartphones, and cognitive tests. They will also develop at least two new interventions tailored to a person’s specific stage and risk profile, including brain-directed treatments for those with later-stage disorders. If successful, this work could transform eating disorder services from a one-size-fits-all approach into a personalised system that catches problems earlier, matches treatment to need, and improves survival rates—much as early intervention has already done for psychosis and cancer.
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What's new about this work: Many areas of medicine, from psychosis to cancer, have shown the importance of getting people into treatment quickly (early intervention) and tailoring treatment to a person's stage of illness. This approach has led to better treatment and improved survival rates. At the moment, this approach does not exist for eating disorders (EDs). In this project, we will work with young people (YP) to develop an interdisciplinary, evidence-based model of how people develop EDs. This will characterise illness stages (at-risk, early stage, late stage) and improve our understanding of why, how and when people transition between stages. It will explore different patterns of how symptoms develop and are maintained, and how YP recover. This model will transform the way EDs are treated by providing a 'map' for clinicians to tailor treatments to a YP's individual circumstances. Why this is important: EDs are disabling, deadly disorders affecting one in six young females and one in 20 males. Most people develop EDs between the ages of 15 and 24 years, meaning EDs can seriously impact YP's life chances (e.g., disrupting education). Anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate of any mental disorder in YP and current treatments are only moderately effective. Early intervention for EDs is a current policy priority in the UK, making this the ideal time for our research programme. Aims: In this project we will: 1. Work with YP to co-produce an inter-disciplinary model of how people develop EDs, how they move through illness stages and recover. 2. Use our model to develop and test new interventions with and for YP with different ED risk profiles/illness stages. 3. Develop creative ways to increase public and professional understanding of EDs and YP's lived experiences of these illnesses. Research plan: Our proposal has six integrated work streams (WSs). WS1 (Lived Experience) will use qualitative and arts-based methods to document YP's lived experiences of ED illness and recovery. We will focus on capturing the perspectives of diverse and under-represented groups (e.g. BAME, LGBTQ+). WS2 (Risk & Resilience) will use six large existing cohort studies to assess how biological, psychological and social factors interact to increase a YP's vulnerability to developing an ED and/or high risk behaviours (e.g., strict dieting). WS3 (Recovery) will assess the recovery trajectories of a clinical cohort of YP with 1st episode EDs, gathering real time data over one year from activity monitors and smartphones. This will include capturing data directly from the device (e.g. activity, heart rate), alongside questionnaires to understand how symptoms change in response to daily stressors. WS4 (Illness Stages & Progression) will explore illness stages by assessing how biological, psychological and social factors, including cognitive assessments of attention to illness-relevant stimuli (e.g. food), change from early to later stage EDs. WS5 (Prevention & Early Intervention) will develop at least two new interventions that are tailored to different illness stages and individual characteristics, and test how brain-directed interventions might prevent long term difficulties in those with later-stage EDs. WS6 (Knowledge Mobilisation) will share findings from the whole project with the public in creative and accessible ways (e.g., infographics) including three commissioned theatre/arts projects. The change we will make: Our findings will transform ED detection, treatment and services and will support the development of inclusive, evidence-based ED policy and practice. This will support young people with EDs to seek help earlier, and help us to spot EDs more quickly, leading to earlier recovery and better outcomes. Improved knowledge of illness stages and of individual differences in risk and illness progression will allow a more personalised approach to care and help us to develop new, more effective treatments for future generations.
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