This free online mental health course discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment of various eating disorders.

Eating disorders are abnormal eating patterns that can threaten your psychological and physical wellbeing and include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Do you know that eating disorders are not lifestyle choices or a way of seeking attention? This mental health course identifies and challenges common myths surrounding eating disorders to promote accurate understanding and awareness of these complex mental health challenges. We differentiate between ‘eating disorders’, ‘disordered eating’ and ‘dieting’ while highlighting their implications. The course explores the assessment and diagnosis process of each available treatment option.

The course goes through the causes and symptoms of binge-eating disorder and examines other specific feeding or eating disorders, including night eating syndrome (NES), purging disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). We delve into the risk factors, which include genetics and personality traits, that contribute to the development of eating disorders to help you provide support and effective interventions to those experiencing eating disorders. The course then examines the core components and skills required to provide dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), which is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

We discuss the principles and techniques of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), two innovative treatment options for eating disorders. We explain how group therapy can help patients recover and establish the importance of support from family and friends. The course then shows you how self-approach and self-care techniques can enhance body image to promote positive self-perception, self-esteem  and self-acceptance as patients develop healthier relationships with food. Sign up for this mental health course to understand eating disorders and learn how to employ clinical or self-care treatments to help patients overcome these complex psychological disorders.