Tech transforms eating disorder treatment

This platform contains AI tools to help clinicians and patients manage the illness

Spotted: Around 1.25 million people in the UK currently have some kind of eating disorder, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (BED). The causes and manifestations of these disorders vary from person to person, making them notoriously challenging to treat with a one-size-fits-all approach. Now, UK startup Univa is hoping that technology could transform outcomes for eating disorder patients.

To help the management and treatment of these illnesses, Univa has developed a range of digital tools, including personalised therapeutic programmes, AI-powered health monitoring, and first-hand accounts from other individuals who have dealt with eating disorders. The services will be available on interconnected apps, which are designed for both patients and their families or carers. Involving a patient’s support network directly not only helps to improve treatment outcomes, but it also helps to ease some of the pressure on the medical teams.

Doctors can use the platform to stay up to date on an individual’s progress, enabling them to create specialised treatment programmes and closely follow the impact, without necessarily requiring frequent and time-intensive face-to-face appointments. This way, clinicians can also prioritise those who are most at risk and allocate resources accordingly – something that’s especially important, given that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.

Univa highlights that four in five people with an eating disorder won’t receive effective treatment, largely due to mental health teams being overstretched and a shortage of therapeutic specialists. Figures show that more and more individuals, especially young people, are seeking help for eating disorders, and clinicians are struggling to cope with this growing backlog of patients. And when sufferers don’t receive effective treatment the first time round, it’s likely that eating problems will continue to reemerge, impacting their quality of life and likely resulting in an additional burden on healthcare systems later on.

The startup was only founded this year, but has already raised £1 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by YZR Capital and supported by Calm/Storm Ventures. The funding is being used to conduct Univa’s first clinical study, which is being conducted in collaboration with the NHS. It will also help the company build and develop its technology and product offering in preparation for a launch in early 2025.

Written By: Matilda Cox

Mental health is a complex issue, and those in need of urgent help can find information about the services available on the United for Global Mental Health website.