6 Mar 2023 • For the first time in 16 years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its practice guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders. The new guidelines include recommendations for screening and treatment and are largely focused on anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED). In the entire world, one in five kids are susceptible to having an eating disorder. The practise guideline, which was approved at the APA annual meeting, contains 16 recommendations for clinicians, including conducting thorough patient evaluations that include laboratory tests and electrocardiograms and screening patients for eating disorders as part of an initial psychiatric evaluation. Moreover, developing specific weight targets for anorexic patients and include family-based therapy in a treatment programme for teenagers with anorexia or bulimia are recommended. With the updated guidelines, a number of additional tools were made available to help doctors put the recommendations into practice. These tools included slides, a pocket guide for clinicians, continuing medical education activities, and more. A pocket handbook for patients and their families as well as an electronic toolbox with a screening assessment calculator are also being released by the organisation. According to an APA statement, "Eating disorders frequently go undiagnosed and untreated." Catherine Crone, MD, chair of the guideline writing group. The purpose of this recommendation and the supplemental materials is to provide physicians with a useful tool for the evaluation, diagnosis, and provision of evidence-based care for eating disorders.

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