Mary Kate Olson has made the headlines lately this week because of her battle with anorexia, and because she has gone to a treatment facility to help her with the disorder.
But new research shows anorexia is a chronic disease, and many patients relapse after going through a treatment program.

Mary Kate Olson has made the headlines because of her battle with anorexia, and because she has gone to a treatment facility to help her with the disorder. New research shows anorexia nervosa is a chronic disease, and many patients relapse after going through a treatment program.

Anorexia is considered one of the most difficult psychiatric problems to treat.
It affects as many as two percent of the population, most of them women like Lauren. “It was one more pound and one more pound and one more pound and it really does take on a life of its own. And I couldn’t stop it,” Lauren recalls. She has suffered from anorexia since she went off to college at the age of 18. She went voluntarily went in to the hospital for treatment. “Gained the weight and then proceeded to lose it all over again because they didn’t help deal with the issues that caused it,” says Lauren.

Now, new research out of the University of Toronto shows many patients relapse after inpatient anorexia treatment. 51 first time admission patients were followed…and more than one out of every three relapsed. Those with a history of a suicide attempt, those with previous treatment for an eating disorder and with a severe history of obsessive complusive problems were most at risk for relapse.

Dr. Katharine Loeb, Director of the Eating Disorders Program at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, says, “What we need to do as a field is to focus on intervention that don’t just restore weight, but that they work very hard to maintain that weight. The longer somebody is at a normal weight the better their chances of staying well. Whereas if they start losing as soon as they leave the unit they will start to relapse.”

Dr. Loeb says about a third will remain well after hospitalization, but another third will be in a limbo state, possibly heading back into relapse. “About ten percent die, and the longer somebody has had the disorder the greater the risk of death.”

Mary Kate Olson is at a higher risk because of her fame. Sadly, that has a trickle down effect to her fans. “Often younger girls look up to celebrities and eating disorders has what I call a reverse stigma where it’s considered clever and glamorous until it gets extremely out of hand. And often what girls think when they hear about somebody like that they want to lose weight but truly don’t think it will get that bad,” states Dr. Loeb.
At least there is a positive aspect to Mary Kate’s story--she is seeking help. “I’ve had this illness for over twenty years. Get the help now. Because you don’t want to be where I am twenty years from now,” advises Lauren.

There are effective treatments available that have shown promise for young people with the disorder which involve the family. Family based treatment puts parent in charge of the refeeding process. In that treatment weight gain and maintenance is inforced, and control is eventually given back to the child. The treatment is done as an outpatient at home.

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