Eating disorders are a growing problem in the Netherlands. Eating disorders are most prevalent among young adults between 18 and 30 years old and, on average, go undiagnosed for four years. There is no single cause for eating disorders, and are often accompanied by other mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Because of the complexity, there is no ready-made solution. Eating disorders occur because they offer instant gratification to cope with emotional distress. Individuals often do not seek help because of denial, guilt, shame and stigmatisation caused by a lack of general knowledge.
The main aim of this research has been to explore the needs of young adults living with an eating disorder who seek support in addressing their disorder.
Throughout this graduation project, Redesigning Psychiatry (a project which details an ideal future vision of mental healthcare in the Netherlands) was consulted to provide guidance in making decisions for design directions.
The research consisted of a theoretical background study, contextmapping (a qualitative user research approach using generative tools and interviews) and research through design method (including activities such as rapid prototyping and testing).
The theoretical background and context mapping insights resulted in a theoretical model that provided detailed insights into factors that influence the help-seeking behaviour in young adults with eating disorders. The model created an overview of the research insights and Redesigning Psychiatry was consulted to highlight the importance of including the social network of young adults with eating disorders in the design.
Based on this design decision, the goal for the design was to design a tool that enables the initiation of a conversation about eating disorders between young adults with eating disorders and their social network so that both parties can set boundaries for their involved support while maintaining their original relationship.
The design should aim to:
Increase others understanding eating disorders
Increase openness in communication about eating disorders
Increase knowing how to communicate about eating disorders
Enable the development of personalised care
Creates a safe and controlled feeling over the interaction
The goal resulted in Food for Talk, which is a conversation game for young adults with eating disorders and their social network to communicate experiences, emotions and needs surrounding the topic of eating disorders. The conversation game facilitates the conversation through several game elements such as a board, conversation cards and tokens. Food for talk is intended to be distributed through therapists of young adults with eating disorders.
Finally, the game Food for talk has been evaluated with young adults with eating disorders and their social networks. The design was successful in supporting in-depth conversations between young adults and their social network, increased openness and knowledge and removed hesitance in the conversation. However, further research is needed to validate the effects of the final design. The final design should be evaluated between young adults with eating disorders and their social networks in a long-term study as well as with different types of social networks.