Working in an eating disorder service

Join Evie Blackadder and Nicole Elliott, speech and language therapy (SLT) students in conversation with Dr Andreas Paphiti, Clinical Psychologist with the Tayside Eating Disorders Service. Together, they delve into the complexities and considerations involved in diagnosing and supporting neurodiversity within an eating disorder population. Dr Paphiti shares his success stories and practical ideas, offering valuable insights into best practices in an eating disorder service.

Content advisory statement. This podcast contains:

• Discussion of eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa), starvation and trauma experiences.
• It mentions social isolation, depression, neglect and abandonment 

If this content may disturb you or those around you please reconsider listening or accessing the podcast transcript.   

Access a transcript of the episode, Working in an eating disorder service available on a Sway. 

Episode Resources and signposting

• Beat Eating Disorders Charity page on Eating Disorders and Autism
• Norton, B., Sheen, J., Burns, L., Enticott, P. G., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., & Kirkovski, M. (2024). Overlap of eating disorders and neurodivergence: the role of inhibitory control. BMC Psychiatry 24, 454
• Duffy, F., Gillespie-Smith, K., Sharpe, H., Buchan, K., Nimbley, E., Maloney, E., Sader, M., Kettley, S., Kerr-Gaffney, J., Waiter, G., & Tchanturia, K. (2024). Eating disorder and autism collaborative project outline: Promoting eating disorder research embedded in a neurodiversity-affirming culture. BJPsych Bulletin, 1-6.
• Equip, Understanding autism and how it can affect eating disorders
• PEACE Pathway home page
• Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. v. (2019).  Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 819–833. 
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition.  available at Pearson clinical.
• AQ-10 Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ).
• NAIT Early Neurodevelopmental History Questionnaire
• Embrace Autism RAADS-R 2022
• CRT Cognitive Remediation Therapy, an overview article on Science direct website
• Cognitive Remediation and Emotional Skills Training for Eating Disorders (CREST). (2019, March 1). Elysium Healthcare.
• Brighter lives beyond anorexia on MANTRA.

The information contained in this podcast is current at the point of publication, with no guarantee of future relevance.

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Guest speakers 

Dr Andreas Paphiti 

Dr Andreas Paphiti is a Clinical Psychologist with the Tayside Eating Disorders Service which provides specialist treatment for adults with eating disorders. His role involves providing psychological assessment and therapy for those with eating disorders, as well as working with other co-existing mental health difficulties and neurodiversity. Beyond eating disorders, Dr Paphiti is interested in the intersections of psychological trauma and neurodiversity with eating disorders. He was involved in the development of the autism assessment and treatment pathway within the Tayside Eating Disorders Service, as well as the evaluation of how patients have experienced going through the pathway.