Some people start therapy for an eating disorder and only later see how closely it is tied to what happened to them growing up. Others start therapy for trauma and are surprised when food and their body become part of the conversation. Both experiences make sense.
Complex trauma and eating disorders often overlap, and when they do, each can help keep the other going (Trottier et al., 2022). Long-lasting trauma tends to show up in how you handle emotions, how you see yourself, and how safe it feels to let people close. An eating disorder can quietly step into all three. The encouraging part is that both are treatable, and treating them with the connection in view is increasingly supported by research.
I’m Jamie L. Jones, founder of Juniper Blu Collective, a telehealth therapy practice that has supported people with eating disorders, and the trauma that often sits underneath them, since 2013. We serve people in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This guide covers why the two overlap, how they feed each other, what to treat first, and what integrated care looks like.
If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, help is available right now.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org (U.S., 24/7).
- Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 (U.S., 24/7).
- National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline: call (866) 662-1235, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, to talk with a licensed eating disorder therapist and get referrals.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 (U.S., 24/7).
- If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Key Takeaways
- Complex trauma and eating disorders frequently co-occur, and each can help maintain the other (Trottier et al., 2022; Mitchell et al., 2021).
- The "second layer" of complex PTSD matters most. Trouble with emotions, self-worth, and relationships is closely tied to how severe an eating disorder is (Day et al., 2024).
- Eating disorder behaviors often do a job, like numbing feelings or creating a sense of control, which is why willpower alone rarely shifts them.
- Medical safety comes first. After that, research increasingly supports working on trauma and the eating disorder together rather than waiting (Trottier et al., 2022).
- Treating trauma alone usually isn't enough. The eating disorder needs its own focused care (Mitchell et al., 2012; American Psychiatric Association, 2023).
Table of Contents
How are complex trauma and eating disorders connected?
Complex trauma and eating disorders are connected because eating disorder behaviors can become a way to cope with the overwhelming emotions, shame, and sense of threat that long-term trauma leaves behind, and that coping then helps keep both conditions going (Mitchell et al., 2021).
Research has consistently found that trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among people with eating disorders, with the highest rates in intensive treatment settings such as inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization programs (Trottier et al., 2022). Researchers have identified several threads that tie the two together: self-criticism, low self-worth, guilt, shame, depression, anxiety, difficulty regulating emotions, anger, and impulsivity (Mitchell et al., 2021).
“Complex trauma” usually means trauma that was long-lasting, often began in childhood, and came from someone a person depended on or trusted. Some people go on to develop complex PTSD (C-PTSD). If you want the full picture of what C-PTSD is, how it differs from PTSD, and how it’s diagnosed, our guide to complex PTSD signs and treatment covers it in depth. This article focuses on what happens when complex trauma and an eating disorder show up together.
Two facts are worth holding onto from the start. Eating disorders are serious illnesses that can affect people of every body weight, and people can look healthy while being very ill. They are also treatable, and it matters to treat any co-occurring conditions alongside them (NIMH). You can learn more about how we approach both sides on our online eating disorder therapy and trauma therapy pages.
Why does the “second layer” of complex PTSD matter for eating disorders?
The second layer of complex PTSD, lasting difficulty with emotions, self-worth, and relationships, appears to be closely tied to eating disorder severity, even beyond classic PTSD symptoms like flashbacks and avoidance (Day et al., 2024).
The World Health Organization’s ICD-11 defines complex PTSD as the core PTSD symptoms plus three “disturbances in self-organization”: problems regulating emotions, a persistently negative view of yourself, and difficulty feeling close to others. We describe this as the Two-Layer Map of C-PTSD: Layer 1 is the PTSD core, and Layer 2 is the self-organization layer.
A study of people seeking eating disorder treatment across residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient care used those ICD-11 criteria and found that far more participants met probable criteria for complex PTSD than for PTSD. The severity of the Layer 2 symptoms was linked to eating disorder severity and impairment even after accounting for PTSD symptoms (Day et al., 2024, Journal of Traumatic Stress).
In plain terms, for many people the eating disorder isn’t only connected to memories of what happened. It’s connected to what the trauma did to their relationship with their own feelings, their sense of worth, and other people. That is where treatment often needs to focus.
The table below shows how each part of Layer 2 can connect to an eating disorder.
| C-PTSD self-organization area (ICD-11) | How it can connect to an eating disorder | What therapy often works on |
|---|---|---|
| Emotion regulation | Eating disorder behaviors can be used to calm, numb, or escape feelings that seem too big to manage (Mitchell et al., 2021) | Skills for riding out intense emotions and urges, such as DBT skills, then processing what drives them |
| Negative self-concept | Shame, self-criticism, guilt, and low self-worth are among the links researchers have found between trauma and eating disorders, and the body can become the target (Mitchell et al., 2021) | Working on trauma-related beliefs about yourself, alongside eating disorder-focused work on body image |
| Relationships | Secrecy, distrust, and pulling away from people can protect both the trauma and the eating disorder; interpersonal distrust is a symptom the two share (Mitchell et al., 2012) | Building trust in the therapy relationship first, attachment-focused work, and involving supportive people when it helps |
How the self-organization symptoms of complex PTSD can relate to eating disorders. Sources: WHO ICD-11; Day et al., 2024; Mitchell et al., 2021; Mitchell et al., 2012. These are general patterns described in research, not a diagnostic tool.
The Overlap Loop: how do trauma and an eating disorder keep each other going?
Trauma and an eating disorder keep each other going through a loop of short-term relief and long-term cost: eating disorder behaviors can briefly quiet trauma-related distress, but that avoidance leaves the trauma unprocessed and adds new shame and isolation, which feeds the distress again (Mitchell et al., 2021; Trottier et al., 2022).
We call this the Overlap Loop. It’s a way of making the research on “maintaining mechanisms” easier to see in everyday life.
The Overlap Loop, an educational illustration based on research describing how eating disorder behaviors can serve as avoidance of trauma-related distress and help maintain both conditions (Mitchell et al., 2021; Trottier et al., 2022). It shows a pattern, not a diagnosis or an expected result.
Here is how the loop tends to move:
- Trauma-related distress shows up. It might be a memory, a reminder, a conflict, or simply a flood of shame or emptiness without an obvious trigger.
- The eating disorder steps in. Researchers have found that eating disorder behaviors can be used to cope with PTSD symptoms and painful emotions (Mitchell et al., 2021).
- There is short-term relief. Feelings get quieter, attention shifts, or there is a brief sense of control.
- The long-term cost builds. Because the distress was avoided rather than worked through, the trauma stays unprocessed. Meanwhile the eating disorder adds its own shame, secrecy, and physical toll, and the loop starts again.
This is why “just stop” advice so rarely helps. The behavior is doing a job, and removing it without building another way to handle the distress can leave a person feeling more exposed, not less.
Does trauma cause eating disorders?
Trauma is a well-documented risk factor for eating disorders, but it is rarely the only cause, and researchers describe the relationship as two-way and still not fully understood (Mitchell et al., 2021).
Eating disorders tend to run in families and develop from a mix of influences (NIMH). Not everyone with an eating disorder has a trauma history, and not everyone with complex trauma develops an eating disorder. What the research does show is that once both are present, they can reinforce each other, as the Overlap Loop illustrates.
One more point matters here: no one chooses an eating disorder. If your eating disorder developed after trauma, it is not a sign of weakness or a failure of willpower. It is often a sign of how hard you had to work to cope with something you shouldn’t have had to face.
What can it look like when trauma is part of an eating disorder?
When trauma is part of an eating disorder, eating disorder thoughts and urges often rise and fall with trauma-related distress, and shame, numbness, and distrust tend to run through both. These are common patterns, not a checklist. Only a licensed clinician can assess what is going on for you.
- Urges get louder around reminders or stress. Eating disorder thoughts may spike after a trauma reminder, a conflict, or a hard anniversary, consistent with research on eating disorder behaviors as a way of coping with PTSD symptoms (Mitchell et al., 2021).
- Shame feels older than the eating disorder. Shame, guilt, and self-criticism are among the links researchers have found between trauma and eating disorders (Mitchell et al., 2021).
- Feeling numb, foggy, or far away around food or your body. One study found that trauma and dissociation were linked to poorer results from CBT for binge eating disorder (Serra et al., 2020).
- Progress that holds until life gets hard. Some studies have linked co-occurring PTSD with leaving eating disorder treatment early or relapse afterward, though findings are mixed (Trottier et al., 2022).
- Trouble trusting providers. Interpersonal distrust is a symptom PTSD and disordered eating share (Mitchell et al., 2012), which can make it hard to tell anyone what’s happening.
If you’re still sorting out whether what you’re experiencing is an eating disorder, our guide to signs you might have an eating disorder is a gentle place to start. And because eating disorders happen at every body size, it’s worth reading about atypical anorexia at a normal or higher weight if you’ve ever been told you “look fine.”
Should trauma or the eating disorder be treated first?
Medical and physical safety comes first; after that, there is no single right order, but research increasingly supports addressing trauma and the eating disorder together rather than postponing trauma work indefinitely (Trottier et al., 2022).
For years, a common approach was to treat the eating disorder first and save trauma work for later. Part of the reason was worry that trauma-focused therapy would make eating disorder symptoms worse (Trottier et al., 2022). Clinical guidance has also long held that trauma-focused work should begin once a person is nutritionally and medically stable (Brewerton, 2004, cited in Trottier et al., 2022). A systematic review recommends considering trauma and PTSD at every stage of eating disorder assessment and treatment planning, and offering both trauma-informed care and trauma-focused treatment (Day et al., 2024, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse).
Here’s how the three main approaches compare.
| Approach | What it means | When it may fit | Limits to keep in mind | What research says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eating disorder first, trauma later | Treatment focuses on eating disorder symptoms and physical stability; trauma work waits | When medical risk is high or eating disorder behaviors are severe enough to interfere with other work | Unaddressed trauma symptoms may keep driving the eating disorder; waiting can stretch on | A systematic review linked trauma and PTSD to lower treatment completion and more eating disorder symptoms after treatment (Day et al., 2024), though another review found a more mixed picture (Convertino & Mendoza, 2023) |
| Trauma first, eating disorder monitored | Treatment focuses on trauma while eating disorder symptoms are tracked | Milder disordered eating with low medical risk, when trauma symptoms are causing the most distress | Symptoms specific to the eating disorder may not improve with trauma treatment alone | Trauma-focused therapy improved shared symptoms but not eating disorder-specific ones in one study (Mitchell et al., 2012) |
| Integrated or concurrent care | Both are addressed in one coordinated plan, with the balance adjusted over time | Many people once they are medically stable | Requires clinicians trained in both and close coordination with medical and nutrition providers | The first randomized trial found integrated therapy safe, more effective for PTSD than eating disorder therapy alone, and preferred by most participants; larger trials are needed (Trottier et al., 2022) |
Three ways to sequence treatment when trauma and an eating disorder co-occur. Sources: Trottier et al., 2022; Day et al., 2024; Convertino & Mendoza, 2023; Mitchell et al., 2012; Brewerton, 2004. Research describes what each approach aims to do, not a guaranteed result for any individual.
Three-Track Care
Rather than a strict sequence, it can help to picture care as three tracks that run at the same time, with the weight shifting as things change. We call this Three-Track Care. It’s a way to understand a treatment plan, not a plan to follow on your own.
- Track one: body and medical safety. A physician, and often a registered dietitian, monitor physical health. Assessment includes deciding which level of care fits right now (American Psychiatric Association, 2023).
- Track two: eating disorder-focused therapy. The American Psychiatric Association recommends eating disorder-focused psychotherapy for anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, and family-based treatment for adolescents with an involved caregiver (2023).
- Track three: trauma work. This often starts with skills for handling intense emotions and urges, then moves into trauma-focused therapy when someone is ready. Most research on integrating trauma treatment with eating disorder care has used cognitive processing therapy (Trottier & Monson, 2021).
Will working on trauma make my eating disorder worse?
Not necessarily: in the first randomized trial of integrated treatment, adding trauma-focused therapy to eating disorder care did not worsen eating disorder symptoms compared with eating disorder therapy alone, and it improved PTSD symptoms more (Trottier et al., 2022).
The trial, published in Psychological Medicine, compared an integrated therapy that combined cognitive processing therapy for PTSD with CBT for eating disorders against CBT for eating disorders alone. Both groups improved in PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The integrated group improved more on PTSD, the gains held at follow-up, safety was good in both groups, and most participants said they would prefer integrated treatment (Trottier et al., 2022).
A few honest limits come with that finding:
- Participants had already completed intensive eating disorder treatment focused on physical stabilization before the trial began. That’s consistent with the guidance to start trauma work once someone is medically stable.
- The study was small and wasn’t designed to show whether integrated care improves eating disorder outcomes more than standard care. Larger trials are needed.
- Trauma work can bring up hard feelings for a while. That’s expected, which is why a plan for urges between sessions belongs in any integrated treatment.
Does treating the trauma make the eating disorder go away?
Usually not on its own: trauma-focused therapy can ease symptoms that PTSD and eating disorders share, but the thoughts and behaviors specific to the eating disorder generally need their own targeted treatment (Mitchell et al., 2012; American Psychiatric Association, 2023).
In a study of women in PTSD treatment, cognitive processing therapy improved symptoms the two conditions share, including difficulty with impulses, trouble reading internal body signals, distrust of others, and feeling ineffective. It did not change symptoms specific to the eating disorder (Mitchell et al., 2012). That’s why we treat the eating disorder as its own condition, not as a side effect that will fade once the trauma is addressed.
The reverse is true too. A study of residential eating disorder treatment found that PTSD and complex PTSD symptoms improved even without trauma-focused therapy, but they were still likely to be severe at discharge (Day et al., 2025, European Eating Disorders Review). Each condition needs its own attention.
Which therapies help when complex trauma and an eating disorder overlap?
The approaches with the strongest support combine eating disorder-focused therapy, such as CBT for eating disorders or family-based treatment for adolescents, with trauma-focused therapy and skills for regulating emotions, adjusted to the person (American Psychiatric Association, 2023; Trottier et al., 2022).
- Eating disorder-focused CBT. Recommended for adults with eating disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2023). It addresses the thoughts and patterns that keep eating disorder behaviors going.
- Family-based treatment. Recommended for adolescents with anorexia or bulimia who have an involved caregiver (American Psychiatric Association, 2023).
- Cognitive processing therapy and other trauma-focused therapies. These target trauma memories and the beliefs trauma leaves behind. Our complex PTSD guide explains what the evidence shows for each.
- DBT and DBT skills. Skills for intense emotions and urges are often a bridge into trauma work. In a randomized trial with women who had PTSD after childhood abuse and significant emotional dysregulation, DBT for PTSD was effective (Bohus et al., 2020).
- EMDR. A trauma-processing option some people prefer. Research on combining it specifically with eating disorder treatment is more limited than for cognitive processing therapy. Our guide to EMDR vs. CBT vs. DBT compares the three.
- Art therapy, as a complement. Some people find that making art helps them express what shame makes hard to say about the body or the past. It is used alongside evidence-based treatment, not instead of it. Learn more about individual art therapy and art therapy for trauma in adults.
No single approach fits everyone. A good plan explains why each piece is there and changes as you do.
What should parents know if their teen has trauma and an eating disorder?
If your teen is dealing with both trauma and an eating disorder, start with a medical check and an eating disorder assessment, and look for care that includes you: family-based treatment is recommended for adolescents with anorexia or bulimia who have an involved caregiver (American Psychiatric Association, 2023), and caregivers are built into trauma-focused CBT for young people (NCTSN).
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based trauma treatment for children and teens. It is delivered to the young person and their caregiver in parallel, with some joint sessions, and it has been tested in many randomized trials (NCTSN). In family-based eating disorder treatment, caregivers take an active role in supporting eating at home, guided by the clinician (American Psychiatric Association, 2023). Your role in both is support, not detective work: you don’t need to know every detail of what happened for your teen to get help.
If the trauma involves someone in your home, your teen’s safety comes first, and the family-based parts of treatment need to be adapted. Therapists, like other mental health professionals, are required by law to report suspected child abuse (Child Welfare Information Gateway).
At Juniper Blu, Jamie L. Jones, Megan M. Herbets, Malca R. Gottlieb, Stacey C. Cooperman, and Batya H. Erickson work with adolescents in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Jamie and Michelle R. Scudero work with adolescents in Pennsylvania, and Jamie and Sarah J. Morris in Virginia.
When is more support than weekly online therapy needed?
When there are medical concerns, quickly worsening eating disorder behaviors, thoughts of suicide or recent self-harm, or a home that isn’t safe, a higher level of care such as intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, or residential treatment may need to come first (American Psychiatric Association, 2023).
Talk with a physician or licensed clinician about more support if any of these apply:
- A physician has concerns about your physical health, or you have physical symptoms you haven’t had checked
- Eating disorder behaviors are increasing or feel out of control
- You’re having thoughts of suicide or have recently harmed yourself
- You’re living with someone who is causing harm
- Dissociation is causing you to lose significant time or put yourself at risk
Needing more support isn’t a failure. It’s a matter of matching care to what’s happening now, and many people move into outpatient therapy afterward. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline offers free referrals to every level of care. If you’re in immediate danger, use the resources at the top of this page.
Can you get help for complex trauma and an eating disorder online?
Yes, for many people at the outpatient level: online therapy can address both trauma and an eating disorder when medical monitoring happens with a local physician and you have a private place to meet.
Online therapy tends to fit well when you have a reliable connection, a private room, and a plan for grounding after hard sessions. It may be a harder fit if home isn’t private or safe, if the person who caused harm lives with you, or if you need more structure than weekly sessions provide. Research on video-delivered trauma therapy is generally supportive, with some real considerations; our complex PTSD guide summarizes it.
You need to be physically located in a state where your therapist is licensed during each session. At Juniper Blu Collective, that means Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, or Virginia.
How does Juniper Blu Collective support people with complex trauma and eating disorders?
Juniper Blu Collective provides online therapy for people navigating both trauma and eating disorders in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with clinicians trained in both areas who coordinate with dietitians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and primary care physicians when needed.
Juniper Blu was founded in 2013 to support people navigating eating disorders and self-harming behaviors, and the trauma that often sits underneath them. That overlap has been part of our work from the beginning. Here’s who works with co-occurring trauma and eating disorders, by state.
Maryland and Washington, D.C.
- Jamie L. Jones, LCPC, LPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC, C-DBT, TBHP. Founder. Eating Disorder and Body Image Specialist with Attachment Trauma Treatment Certification, a Certified Dialectical Behavior Professional, and a Board Certified Art Therapist.
- Megan M. Herbets, LPC, LCPC. Eating disorder treatment training and advanced DBT training. Supports trauma alongside eating disorders, body image concerns, and self-harm.
- Malca R. Gottlieb, LICSW, LCSW-C, C-DBT. EMDR-trained and a Certified Dialectical Behavior Professional. Supports trauma and eating disorders with a relationship-centered approach.
- Stacey C. Cooperman, LGPC, NCC. Certified Trauma Professional supporting eating disorders and trauma. Offers therapy in English and French. Practices under clinical supervision.
- Batya H. Erickson, LGPC, NCC. Attachment-based support for eating disorders, body image concerns, and trauma. Practices under clinical supervision.
Online therapy in Maryland → · Online therapy in Washington, D.C. →
Pennsylvania
- Jamie L. Jones, LPC. Works with both trauma and eating disorders.
- Michelle R. Scudero, LCSW. Provides eating disorder therapy, including for people navigating chronic illness and the perinatal period.
Online therapy in Pennsylvania →
Virginia
- Jamie L. Jones, LPC. Works with both trauma and eating disorders.
- Sarah J. Morris, Resident in Counseling. Completed Complex Trauma Certification Training and Eating Disorder Treatment Training, with a weight-inclusive approach. Practices under the clinical supervision of Jamie L. Jones.
What happens when you reach out?
Reaching out starts with a conversation, not a commitment: you contact the practice, talk through what you’re looking for, and get matched with a clinician licensed in your state.
- Contact us through our contact page or by phone at (202) 244-0818.
- Talk through fit. We’ll ask what’s bringing you in and what matters to you. You don’t need to share details of your trauma or your eating disorder to get started.
- Get matched with a clinician licensed where you live and trained in both areas.
- Start with assessment. Early sessions focus on your safety, your physical health, and what matters most to you, and we coordinate with your physician and dietitian when needed.
Now welcoming new patients. Some of our therapists have openings for online therapy right now, while others are booking from a waitlist. Reach out and we’ll match you with a therapist who has availability, or add you to the waitlist for a specific therapist.
If you’re comparing options, our guides to choosing a virtual eating disorder therapist and choosing an online trauma therapist list the questions worth asking any provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trauma is a well-documented risk factor, but it is rarely the only cause. Eating disorders tend to run in families and develop from many influences (NIMH), and researchers describe the link with trauma as two-way and still not fully understood (Mitchell et al., 2021). What is clear is that eating disorder behaviors can become a way of coping with trauma-related distress, which can keep both conditions going.
It is common. In a study of people seeking eating disorder treatment across residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient care, far more participants met probable criteria for complex PTSD than for PTSD under the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 criteria (Day et al., 2024). The emotion, self-worth, and relationship symptoms of complex PTSD were linked to how severe the eating disorder was.
Medical safety comes first. After that, there is no single right order, and many people do best when both are addressed in the same treatment plan. The first randomized trial of integrated care found that combining trauma-focused and eating disorder therapy after initial eating disorder treatment was safe, and most participants preferred it (Trottier et al., 2022). A licensed clinician can help you decide what fits right now.
Trauma work can stir up hard feelings for a while, but research has not found that it worsens eating disorder symptoms overall. In the first randomized trial of integrated care, adding trauma-focused therapy did not worsen eating disorder symptoms compared with eating disorder treatment alone, and it improved PTSD symptoms more (Trottier et al., 2022). A plan for urges between sessions still matters.
Usually not by itself. In one study, trauma-focused therapy improved symptoms shared by PTSD and disordered eating, such as distrust and trouble with impulses, but not the symptoms specific to the eating disorder (Mitchell et al., 2012). That is why eating disorder-focused psychotherapy is recommended (American Psychiatric Association, 2023), ideally alongside trauma care.
Start with a medical check and an eating disorder assessment, then look for care that includes you. Family-based treatment is recommended for adolescents with anorexia or bulimia who have an involved caregiver (American Psychiatric Association, 2023), and trauma-focused CBT for young people builds in caregiver sessions (NCTSN). If the trauma involves someone in the home, safety comes first and treatment needs to be adapted.
For many people, yes, at the outpatient level. Online therapy can work well when you have a private space and medical monitoring happens with a local physician. If there are medical concerns or you need more structure, a higher level of care may come first. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline, (866) 662-1235, offers free referrals to every level of care.
Yes. Juniper Blu Collective provides online therapy for co-occurring trauma and eating disorders for people in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Founder Jamie L. Jones, LCPC, LPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC, C-DBT, TBHP, is an Eating Disorder and Body Image Specialist with Attachment Trauma Treatment Certification, licensed in all four. Sessions happen over secure video, coordinated with dietitians and physicians when needed
Ready to talk?
You don’t need to know which came first, or have the right words, to reach out. Connect With Us to talk with our team about online therapy for trauma and eating disorders in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, or Virginia.
Sources
- Trottier, K., Monson, C. M., Wonderlich, S. A., & Crosby, R. D. (2022). Results of the first randomized controlled trial of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Medicine, 52(3), 587-596. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721004967
- Mitchell, K. S., Scioli, E. R., Galovski, T., Belfer, P. L., & Cooper, Z. (2021). Posttraumatic stress disorder and eating disorders: Maintaining mechanisms and treatment targets. Eating Disorders, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2020.1869369
- Day, S., Hay, P., Basten, C., Byrne, S., Dearden, A., Goldstein, M., Hannigan, A., Heruc, G., Houlihan, C., Roberts, M., Tannous, W. K., Thornton, C., Valentine, N., & Mitchison, D. (2024). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD in eating disorder treatment-seekers: Prevalence and associations with symptom severity. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37(4), 672-684. Full text
- Day, S., Hay, P., Tannous, W. K., et al. (2024). A systematic review of the effect of PTSD and trauma on treatment outcomes for eating disorders. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Full text (PMC)
- Day, S., Mitchison, D., Tannous, W. K., & Hay, P. (2025). Change in PTSD and complex PTSD symptoms in residential treatment for eating disorders. European Eating Disorders Review. Publication record
- Convertino, A. D., & Mendoza, R. R. (2023). Posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic events, and longitudinal eating disorder treatment outcomes: A systematic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(6), 1055-1074. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23933
- Mitchell, K. S., Wells, S. Y., Mendes, A., & Resick, P. A. (2012). Treatment improves symptoms shared by PTSD and disordered eating. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25(5), 535-542. Publication record
- Trottier, K., & Monson, C. M. (2021). Integrating cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder with cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders in PROJECT RECOVER. Eating Disorders, 29(3), 307-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2021.1891372
- Serra, R., Kiekens, G., Tarsitani, L., Vrieze, E., Bruffaerts, R., Loriedo, C., An, A., & Vanderlinden, J. (2020). The effect of trauma and dissociation on the outcome of cognitive behavioural therapy for binge eating disorder: A 6-month prospective study. European Eating Disorders Review, 28(3), 309-317. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2722
- Bohus, M., Kleindienst, N., Hahn, C., Müller-Engelmann, M., Ludäscher, P., Steil, R., Fydrich, T., Kuehner, C., Resick, P. A., et al. (2020). Dialectical behavior therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (DBT-PTSD) compared with cognitive processing therapy (CPT) in complex presentations of PTSD in women survivors of childhood abuse. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(12), 1235-1245. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2148
- Brewerton, T. D. (2004). Eating disorders, victimization, and comorbidity: Principles of treatment. In Clinical Handbook of Eating Disorders: An Integrated Approach. Cited in Trottier et al. (2022), above.
- American Psychiatric Association. (2023). Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders (4th ed.). Guideline announcement
- National Institute of Mental Health. Eating Disorders: What You Need to Know. NIMH publication (PDF)
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) fact sheet. NCTSN fact sheet (PDF)
- Child Welfare Information Gateway. Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. childwelfare.gov
- World Health Organization. ICD-11: 6B41 Complex post traumatic stress disorder. ICD-11 browser