Criteria for Recovery from Eating Disorders According to Patients and Therapists

No consensus exists on criteria for recovery from eating disorders. Different criteria are used in effect and outcome studies, suggesting different rates of recovery. The questions for research were: Which criteria for recovery are important to ex-patients and therapists, and which criteria for recovery are actually realized by ex-patients? A list of 52 possible criteria for recovery was compiled from the literature on eating disorders, representing the domains of eating behavior, body experience, physical and psychological well-being, and emotional and social functioning. Ex-patients (n = 41) and therapists (n = 57) were asked to select criteria from this list, that they viewed as important for recovery from eating disorders. Ex-patients were asked which criteria they had realized by the end of their most recent therapy or treatment and in the period thereafter. Ex-patients and therapists agreed on most of the criteria for recovery. At the end of their therapy, more than 50% of the ex-patients had realized 44 of the criteria for recovery but thereafter they improved on 38 criteria. To realize full recovery and to prevent relapse, it is important to consider not only eating behavior and weight, but also psychological, emotional, and social criteria.