Dr. Gupta is a licensed psychologist and professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety and eating/weight issues at 
The burden of caring for someone with an eating disorder
March 8, 2012
Eating disorders are often suffered in secret – like late night binging on hidden foods. Such behaviors are difficult to overcome alone and reaching out to others for support can be vital to recovery. However, eating disorders can take a toll on family and friends, too. A new study released online last week examined the degree to which caregivers feel burdened and how their perception of the burden changes over time.
Researchers in Spain surveyed the caregivers of men and women with all types of eating disorders. About 80% of the caregivers were parents while the rest were spouses/partners or other family members. The surveys revealed that caregivers experienced a lot of tension and worrying, and also reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, one year later the caregivers felt significantly less burdened.
A few factors were associated with feeling less burden one year after the study began.
- Improvement in caregivers’ anxiety
- Caregivers' perception of the eating disorder illness becoming less severe
- Child/partner/family member with an eating disroder becoming less depressed and anxious
Older age of the person with an eating disorder was also associated with less of a perceived burden. In other words, the older the person with an eating disorder, the less burden felt by his/her caregiver.
The caregiver’s age, gender, marital status, and relationship with the eating disorder patient were not related to their perceived burden. Men/women, married/divorced, parents/siblings, older/younger – all experienced similar levels of worry, tension, anxiety, and depression.
The authors suggest that when caregivers feel particularly burdened, it can threaten their mental health and, of course, make it difficult to provide the best care. However, the study shows that most caregivers tend to feel less burdened after about a year.
Caregivers are likely to benefit by seeking out support from other caregivers especially given that their experiences in the study were similar across gender, marital, and other demographic factors.
Photo credit: Henk Bart
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