Effectivenes of a track-based model for treating eating disorders in a general psychiatric hospital

Due to comorbid disorders or the degree of severity of their eating disorder, individuals may not warrant treatment at a specialty eating disorder facility. This article examines the effectiveness of a track-based model for treating eating disorders at a general inpatient psychiatric hospital. One hundred seventy-six patients who participated on the Eating Disorder Track and completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI; Garner, 2004) were examined to determine whether their eating disorder symptoms improved over the course of their treatment. Results indicated that patients significantly improved across all eating disorder risk scales and psychological scales measured by the Eating Disorder Inventory. This suggests that patients who may not meet the criteria for attending a specialty eating disorder program may receive an alternative form of treatment for their eating disorder that is effective in reducing their eating disorder symptomatology. The hope is that providing more treatment options will expand the reach of eating disorder treatments to more individuals who need specialized care for these disorders.