How Apps Can Be Used for Eating Disorder Recovery

The growing popularity of apps has both potential benefits and risks for individuals struggling with eating disorders. Understanding their impact is essential for individuals and healthcare professionals.

Fitness Trackers: A Double-Edged Sword

While fitness trackers may encourage healthy behaviors, they can be detrimental to individuals with eating disorders. These apps often emphasize calorie counting and extreme goals, exacerbating disordered behaviors. A study revealed that 75% of individuals with eating disorders used My Fitness Pal, and 73% believed it contributed to their condition.

Eating Disorder Recovery Apps: A New Hope

In contrast, specific eating disorder recovery apps can be beneficial. Many are based on evidence-based therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). A key feature of these apps is self-monitoring, a vital aspect of CBT. This involves tracking food consumed, associated thoughts, and feelings. App-based self-monitoring offers advantages over paper monitoring, including accessibility, convenience, and a focus on thoughts and feelings rather than just numbers.

Popular Apps with Self-Monitoring Features

• Recovery Record: Provides self-monitoring, coping strategies, social connections, and a clinician portal. Aligned with CBT interventions, it allows users to log food, thoughts, feelings, and urges to engage in compensatory behaviors.

• Rise Up & Recover: Known for its self-monitoring feature, users can record meals, snacks, emotions, and "target behaviors" like bingeing and purging. Encourages the use of coping skills during difficult times, allows users to share motivational quotes, and offers additional resources.

Choosing an Eating Disorder Recovery App

1. Self-Monitoring Without Calorie Counting: Prioritize apps that allow for self-monitoring of food intake without calorie counting to minimize obsessive thinking.

2. Fields for Behaviors, Thoughts, and Feelings: Opt for apps with specific fields for logging behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, as recovery involves awareness of these aspects.

3. Motivation and/or Coping Strategies: Apps that provide reminders, motivational quotes, coping skill practice, and support mechanisms can be valuable.

Important Considerations

• Apps are not a substitute for treatment. Always discuss their use with your treatment team.

• Handwritten food logs or diaries can also be useful for understanding unhealthy patterns and promoting change.