Please note: It is uncommon for Change Creates Change clients to live with severe and enduring eating disorders. Keep reading to find out why.
Severe and enduring eating disorders (SEED) can be classified as severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SEED-AN) or severe and enduring bulimia nervosa (SEED-BN). The majority of research on SEED is on SEED-AN. Folks living with AN typically recover in one to three years, but approximately 20% of folks living with AN develop SEED-AN. Other eating disorders, such as binge eating disorder, are not discussed in relation to SEED in research.
Severe and Ensuring Eating Disorder Definition
It is difficult to define SEED because there is only a small amount of research on the subject, and eating disorder recovery is so individualized. What works in eating disorder recovery for some folks may not work in eating disorder recovery for others.
A treatment modality refers to a type of treatment used for those living with a mental illness. You may have heard treatment modality referred to as ‘treatment approach’ or ‘treatment type’. It is important to remember that just because someone doesn’t respond to a certain treatment modality, it doesn’t mean that they are living with SEED. Folks not responding to a specific treatment modality can lead to folks being misdiagnosed with SEED.
Some research defines SEED as individuals who have lived with an eating disorder for over three years, while other research defines SEED as individuals who have lived with an eating disorder for over five years. Folks who have lived with AN for less than three years and who undergo family-based therapy have higher success with eating disorder recovery. Since our clients are less than 25 years of age we use family-based therapy as the first line of treatment at Change Creates Change. For those reasons, it is uncommon for our clients to live with SEED.
Holistic Approach
Research shows that a holistic approach to eating disorder treatment is the best method to determine whether an individual is living with SEED. A holistic approach means that more than just the duration or resistance to treatment is considered when making a diagnosis. Instead, it accounts for an individual’s unique circumstances and treatment needs.
Weight Cycling and SEED
Folks living with SEED may engage in weight cycling. For example, they may become weight restored in treatment and then lose the weight they’ve gained once they have completed treatment. Not only can weight cycling be bad for our physical health, it can also negatively impact our mental health.
Treatment
As we mentioned above, it is important to note that not everyone living with an eating disorder will respond to the same treatment modality. For example, someone may be receiving in-patient treatment for their eating disorder that follows a specific treatment modality. They may not respond to the treatment modality used in that particular hospital program, but the other individuals in the program do. The reason they are not responding to the treatment could be because their own individualized needs are not being met by it. They may be misdiagnosed with SEED since they are not responding to that specific treatment modality. For their treatment and eating disorder recovery, these folks would need to follow a different treatment modality than the one that was used in that particular hospital program.
Management
If someone is living with SEED, they must determine if they are going to continue to work towards full recovery, or if they are going to work towards improving their quality of life while continuing to live with an eating disorder. This decision may be made based on their readiness to change. Ways that someone living with SEED may choose to manage SEED include: therapy, medication and physical health monitoring.
At Change Creates Change we know that early treatment and an individualized approach gives folks the best chance at eating disorder recovery. Book a free consultation call with one of our clinicians to find out how we can help your child today.
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