What To Do While Waiting For Eating Disorder Treatment

Why do we see a decline in health while people wait to be admitted into care?

Why do symptoms and behaviors ramp up, not down (or at least stay status quo) once there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a promise of treatment?

Last Supper Syndrome: Why Patients Get Sicker Faster While Awaiting Admission to Treatment

This phenomenon is not unique to eating disorders. 

On Sunday, someone makes the decision to quit smoking tomorrow. They want to get better and tomorrow's the day. This person has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for years, but this Sunday, they smoke 2 packs, chain smoking more than they ever have.

Someone tells themselves that they are going on a diet. Leading up to starting, they think about food more, they have more frequent and more intense cravings, they eat past the point of fullness. 

Last Supper Syndrome. 

The mind, when believing this is the very last time it will be able to do the thing, wants as much of that thing as possible before time runs out.

We see this in eating disorders too, while people wait for treatment admission.

"Last Supper Syndrome" refers to a phenomenon where individuals with eating disorders restrict their food intake significantly before entering treatment. This behavior is often driven by the fear of gaining weight or the desire to appear as if they have been following the prescribed treatment or diet plan diligently.

Last Supper Syndrome can be a manifestation of the fear of change, uncertainty about the treatment process, or a desire to maintain a sense of control over one's eating behaviors. 

This behaviour can be harmful as it may exacerbate physical and psychological health issues, degrading what health had remained and can, in some cases, lead to the person deteriorating to a point where they are not accepted into the very treatment program they were waiting for in the first place. 

At The Holistic ED Recovery Center, we don't want to see anyone get sicker while they wait to get care. We believe that there are many support strategies, such as MEAL SUPPORT and FAMILY INVOLVEMENT that can help to prevent Last Supper Syndrome. Starting recovery does not have to mean waiting until you (or your child) is the most sick they have ever been.