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The treatment gap in eating disorders: What prevents people from seeking help?
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The treatment gap in eating disorders: What prevents people from seeking help?

Kathina Ali, Esme Fabry, Prudence Wall and Dan Fassnacht
European Journal of Psychology Open, Vol.84(Supplement 1), pp.145-146
European Congress of Psychology, 19th (Paphos, Cyprus, 01-Jul-2025–04-Jul-2025)
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1024/2673-8627/a000085
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Published VersionCC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Background: Help-seeking rates for eating disorders remain low, with less than one third of individuals seeking and receiving professional help for eating related problems. Understanding factors preventing individuals from seeking treatment is essential to close the current treatment gap for eating disorders. However, imprecise and inconsistent definitions and measurement of barriers has limited the research in this area. Research Aims: This presentation will describe a theoretical framework of barriers to help-seeking for eating disorders and provide clear definitions of factors preventing individuals from seeking help. Perceived barriers that have been identified in the literature will be described in detail. Method: The presentation will encompass data from three different studies investigating perceived barriers towards help-seeking for eating disorders. Samples included young adults (N=291, mean age 20.04), university students (N=406, mean age 23.6) and adults (N=333, mean age 27.7) from Australia. The same measures of eating disorder symptoms and help-seeking (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Clinical Impairment Scale, Barriers Towards Seeking Help for Eating Disorders Questionnaire, Actual Help Seeking Questionnaire) were used across studies. Results: In all studies, the majority of participants believed that help-seeking would be useful, however, only a minority had sought help for their problems. Findings from the studies indicated a variety of perceived barriers including concern for others, denial, self-reliance, fear of losing control, and stigma and shame. Implications: Help-seeking rates for eating disorders are low and further research is required to improve the significant treatment gap. Prevention and early intervention programs should address common barriers to help-seeking including denial, self-reliance, concern for others and stigma. Highlighting stories of peers with lived experience might be helpful to address this gap.

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