Long-term care for sustainable eating disorder recovery
Recovery isn’t about short bursts of support. It’s about what happens after.
And for far too many, that’s where things fall apart.
The Relapse Problem: Why Traditional Models Fail
Most eating disorder treatment programs offer care for just a few weeks or months. But research shows that this timeline is dangerously short.
According to one longitudinal study¹, 41% of individuals relapse within just one year of completing treatment—with the highest-risk window falling between months 4–9. Long-term, the numbers are even more concerning: up to 70% relapse within five years.
This isn’t a failure of willpower. It’s a failure of the system.
Traditional programs often end just as the real work begins.
The Power of Long-Term Support: What the Evidence Shows
Emerging research points to a clear solution: twelve months of structured, consistent support can reduce relapse rates to under 10%¹.
At Ianthe House, we’ve seen this firsthand. Our six-month pilot of the Recovery Circle program—designed for high-functioning women with eating disorders—delivered results few traditional models can claim:
80% reduction in restrictive eating
58% drop in food and body preoccupation
DSM-5 diagnostic remission for binge eating and bulimia participants
31% improvement in support-seeking
17% increase in quality of life scores
Up to 71% individual improvement in key behavioural markers
This is recovery, held with structure, depth, and community. And it works.
Why Traditional Programs Fall Short
Despite best intentions, conventional programs are often inaccessible and ineffective in the long-term. Here's why:
1. They’re too short.
Most residential programs last just 30–90 days². But full healing takes at least two years of continuous, stepped care, according to leading clinicians³.
2. They’re prohibitively expensive.
Average residential treatment: $2,000/day
Full treatment episode: ~$250,000 USD
Yet most people cannot access insurance that covers this trajectory, especially at higher levels of care³.
3. They’re impractical for working adults.
Taking extended leave from work or study is not only logistically difficult—it often requires disclosure many aren’t ready to make. For high-functioning individuals, this fear of stigma, income loss, and career derailment becomes a powerful deterrent⁴.
No wonder only 1 in 10 sufferers ever access care⁵.
A Hidden Crisis: Most Sufferers Are Not Underweight
Mainstream perceptions of eating disorders still focus heavily on extreme thinness. But the majority of people with eating disorders are not underweight⁶.
Many are in full-time work or study
They’re often dismissed because they “look fine”
Their illnesses go untreated—yet still cost the UK economy over £3.5 billion annually through healthcare usage and productivity loss⁶.
This group is underserved by existing care models. But they are the exact people Ianthe House is designed to support.
Our Approach: Flexible, Long-Term, and Evidence-Backed
At Ianthe House, we’ve reimagined what recovery support can look like—beyond clinic walls and short-term solutions.
⤷ Recovery Circles
Therapist-led, peer-supported groups running for 9–12 months. Structured, relational, and grounded in lived experience.
🌸 Explore our Circles →
⤷ Co-Living Homes
Immersive, supportive environments where recovery is woven into daily life.
🏡 Discover our Homes →
⤷ Practical Tools for Daily Recovery
From WhatsApp check-ins to Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), we help you build resilience, not just resolve symptoms.
🧰 See our Recovery Toolbox →
Why It Works: Community + Continuity
Our model is based on what the science (and our data) confirms:
Sustainable recovery requires time, trust, and tools that support everyday life—not just clinical environments.
By extending care through the critical relapse window and offering flexible structures that fit real lives, we’re reducing relapse rates while increasing engagement, empowerment, and long-term wellbeing.
A Pathway That Works—and Lasts
If you’ve tried short-term programs and found yourself back where you started, you are not alone. And it’s not your fault.
You didn’t fail treatment.
Treatment failed to meet your reality.
We’re building something different. Something lasting.
Recovery isn’t just possible.
With the right structure, it’s sustainable.
✨ Start Your Journey with us
If you’re ready to explore what recovery can look like when it’s held with consistency, depth and compassion—we’re here for you.
Or learn more about our Recovery Co-Living Homes→
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Carter JC, Mercer-Lynn KB, Norwood SJ, et al. A prospective study of predictors of relapse in anorexia nervosa: implications for relapse prevention. Psychiatry Res. 2012;200(2-3):518-523. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2012.04.037
Frisch, M.J., Herzog, D.B. and Franko, D.L. (2006), Residential treatment for eating disorders. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 39: 434-442. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20255
Griffiths, S., Rossell, S. L., Mitchison, D., Murray, S. B., & Mond, J. M. (2018). Pathways into treatment for eating disorders: A quantitative examination of treatment barriers and treatment attitudes. Eating Disorders, 26(6), 556–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2018.1518086
Eating Disorder Facts & Figures | CEDC
