Supporting young people with Eating Disorders

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week – today we are sharing information about our Sheffield Eating Disorder Assessment Treatment Team (SEDATT). They are a dedicated eating disorder service for children and young people up to the age of 16.

If you, or anyone you know may need help with disordered eating, please contact your GP or if you are already receiving support from a mental health professional, please ask them to direct you to support.

The Sheffield Children’s SEDATT team are a specialist service within our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and work closely with our colleagues at the Sheffield Eating Disorder Service which supports people over 16.

They assess and manage young people who have disordered eating, examples include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder (BED) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The team also manage conditions that commonly coexist with eating disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, OCD etc. if they identify them as part of the assessment process.

After they receive a referral, a team member will have an initial telephone conversation with the family or carer of the young person. At this appointment the young person needs will be ascertained. When referral is accepted, they are offered an assessment clinic appointment where they will meet with members of the team.

The team include a consultant a psychiatrist, a clinical nurse specialist, mental health practitioner, speciality doctor, specialist dietician, family psychotherapist, systemic family therapist, nurse, ST2 junior doctor, consultant paediatrician, and medical secretary.

Dr Hayat Khan, Consultant Psychiatrist, explained his role: “I feel honoured to be part of SEDATT. As consultant psychiatrist, I work closely with colleagues, patients and families from the beginning, looking at referrals into the service as well as assessment and treatment. We also work jointly with other specialist teams within Sheffield children’s, depending on the complexity and needs of the patient.

“Due to the pandemic, our assessments are mostly done virtually via video link. However, depending on the clinical needs and risks, we also offer face to face appointments. If you or someone you know has concerns about your appearance, weight or food intake which is impacting on your quality of life or/and day to day  functioning, please seek help. Your GP is the best place to start, but if you are already seeking help, for example with a mental health professional, they can help you too.

“We understand for anyone who has had an eating disorder, stress (as well as many other factors) can trigger a relapse, and situations like pandemic can add to this. It’s important for the young people and families to understand the causative and contributing factors as well as relapse signs to work jointly towards remission and stability. Please seek help early and get it treated before it gets worst.”

You can find out more about the SEDATT team here: https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/services/camhs/eating-disorders/