Teenagers with an eating disorder may be overlooked and miss out on accessing critical support services due to a strict reliance on a questionnaire to assess eligibility.
Dr Renata Mendes from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology researched how adolescents with Atypical Anorexia Nervosa (AAN) and Anorexia Nervosa (AN) were being identified in primary care through the use of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), a self-report form used by GPs.
The self-report form is then used to assess if young people are eligible to access the Medicare-funded Eating Disorders Plan (EDP).
“We found one in four adolescences with a confirmed eating disorder diagnosis scored below the EDE-Q cut-off, which means they would not meet the EDP eligibility requirements,” Dr Mendes said.
“Rates of non-endorsement were similar in AN (33 per cent) and AAN (23 per cent), which shows AAN adolescents were just as likely to under-report their systems.
“This means many adolescents who need treatment may appear ‘fine’ when screened, therefore making them ineligible to access the EDP.”
The research showed the primary barrier was the strict reliance on the EDE-Q score for AAN eligibility in the EDP.
Because many adolescents did not endorse their symptoms they may fail to meet the required cut-off, be deemed ineligible for subsidised treatment, or may be overlooked in primary care due to the reliance on the EDE-Q.
Dr Mendes said: “This makes the current system especially risky for AAN as their weight may appear ‘normal’ but is masking a severe illness.”
“If this remains unchanged, a substantial portion of young people with AAN will continue to fall through the cracks and miss out on timely, affordable treatment.
“The research highlights the need for a policy revision and to strengthen primary care assessment to improve early detection, ensure equitable access to evidence-based care, reduce illness severity by enabling treatment to begin sooner, and support GPs with clearer and more flexible guidelines.”
The paper ‘Screening of adolescent Atypical Anorexia Nervosa in primary care: is the current use of the eating disorders examination a barrier to accessing treatment’ has been published in Australian Journal of Primary Health.
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Renata Mendes
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