Abstract
BackgroundEating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses that are often associated with poor quality of life and low long-term recovery rates. Peer mentor programs have been found to improve psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in other mental illnesses, and a small number of studies have suggested that eating disorder patients may benefit from such programs. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a peer mentor program for individuals with eating disorders in terms of improving symptomatology and quality of life.MethodsUp to 30 individuals with a past history of an eating disorder will be recruited to mentor 30 individuals with a current eating disorder. Mentoring will involve 13 sessions (held approximately every 2 weeks), of up to 3 h each, over 6 months.DiscussionThis pilot proof-of-concept feasibility study will inform the efficacy of a peer mentoring program on improving eating disorder symptomatology and quality of life, and will inform future randomised controlled trials.Trial registrationAustralian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration Number: ACTRN12617001412325. The date of registration (retrospective): 05/10/2017.
Highlights
Eating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses that are often associated with poor quality of life and low long-term recovery rates
Anorexia nervosa is associated with the most serious consequences, having the highest death rate of any mental illness, with one in ten of those diagnosed dying as a result of the physical effects of starvation or suicide [2, 3]
We describe here a peer support program for people with an eating disorder, aimed at addressing a service gap in Victoria, Australia, for those who require additional support to sustain recovery while living independently
Summary
Eating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses that are often associated with poor quality of life and low long-term recovery rates. Peer mentor programs have been found to improve psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in other mental illnesses, and a small number of studies have suggested that eating disorder patients may benefit from such programs. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a peer mentor program for individuals with eating disorders in terms of improving symptomatology and quality of life. Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions with high rates of morbidity and mortality. They are associated with a staggering socioeconomic cost of almost $70 billion per year in Australia alone [1]. The complex nature of eating disorders demands an innovative and specialised solution to positively
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