AEDimhs: Adult Eating Disorder Integrated Mental Health Service

Service Description

The Adult Eating Disorder Mental Health Service is a recently established eating disorder service accessible to you via your local GP and associated community services. The service assesses and treats adults whose eating problems are low in medical risk but are impacting on their daily lives. This may be a new problem or a problem someone has been struggling with for some time.

The Adult Eating Disorder Mental Health Service team aims to help people achieve their recovery goals and support them to move on from having an eating disorder. They use their expertise to draw on current eating disorder research and identify the right therapy for an individual, in line with NICE national guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders.

What to Expect

When the team receives a request for the service, they will make direct contact with the individual to arrange a time for an assessment. If you have been directed to the Adult Eating Disorder Mental Health Service, you will receive an assessment pack confirming your appointment time, and details of who you will meet, and there will be questionnaires to fill in before the day. The assessment is online via a virtual platform, for example, Microsoft Teams. Typically, it will take an hour.

A family member or friend is very welcome to join you at the assessment should you wish; the Adult Eating Disorder Mental Health Service team recognises they can play an important role in your recovery.

Young Adults 18-25 years

The Team runs a FREED pathway, which is a service for 18- to 25-year-olds who have had an eating disorder for three years or less. FREED offers rapid access to specialised treatment, paying specific attention to the challenges young people face in the early stages of an eating disorder. More information on FREED is available from freedfromed.co.uk

An Important Role for Families and Carers

It is recognised families and carers can play an important role in recovery and the Adult Eating Disorder Mental Health Service offers an online carers’ course in collaboration with the UK eating disorder charity, Beat. The course supports caregivers during the critical first five years of an illness, offering them valuable insights into supporting their loved ones while prioritising their own well-being.