Early intervention in the treatment of people with eating disorders

Early intervention in the treatment of people with eating disorders Tracey Wade from Flinders University highlights the benefits of early interventions for eating disorders. She notes that brief interventions during waiting periods can boost treatment completion rates, and early symptom improvements can lead to better outcomes. The term ‘early intervention’ has been used in different ways, but overall refers to offering intervention as early as possible to minimise long-term adverse consequences for health. In mental health, it can occur at three different points, as summarised in the Figure. First, early intervention can refer to interventions for young people before they reach the threshold for a traditional major psychiatric diagnosis, but where distress, functional impairment and warning signs of mental illness are present. (1) Early intervention at this time point is seen as crucial to preventing or reducing the severity of a full-threshold disorder. (2)