title: Self-change in eating disorders: is "spontaneous recovery" possible?
abstract: A limited series of community studies including non-treatment-seekers has shown that a considerable number of eating disorder patients do not enter the health care system but can be considered "clinically recovered" (remission of major symptoms) if followed up long enough. The possibility of "spontaneous recovery" (overcoming an eating disorder without professional treatment or formal help) often faces scepticism on the part of professionals. Clearly, self-change is an underestimated pathway to recovery from an eating disorder, but open-minded clinicians can learn a lot from it. Active coping and making use of one's "recovery capital" are key features of self-change even if maintenance of change is associated with social support and positive life changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Catholic University Leuven, Tienen, Belgium. walter.vandereycken@ppw.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vandereycken
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D004645:Empathy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008019:Life Style; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support