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A minority of people with eating disorders seek and receive appropriate professional help. This review assessed the proportion of individuals with eating disorders who had sought help or received treatment, as an update to the Hart et al. (2011) review conducted more than a decade ago. Three databases were searched for studies that: 1) included a community sample of help-seekers and non-help seekers, 2) used a standardized eating disorder screening instrument, and 3) assessed the percentage of participants who had sought help specifically for eating disorder concerns. Of 599 articles, 21 studies met inclusion criteria, representing 37,423 participants. The pooled proportion reporting help-seeking from any source was 30% (95% CI = 22%-38%). The pooled proportion reporting formal treatment seeking from appropriate health professionals specifically for eating disorder concerns was 31% (95% CI = 22%-39%). These rates suggest little to no improvement in the unmet need for treatment since 1989 with reviewed studies continuing to focus on white adult women. Help-seeking rates among other populations remain unclear and there is and an urgent need to understand reasons for overall low help-seeking rates. Better visibility of health professionals qualified to provide eating disorder treatment could help reduce the substantial treatment gap.
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Ali et al. (2023) studied this question.