Understanding the Root Cause of Eating Disorders and Applying the Principles of Functional Behaviour Assessment in a Clinical Setting

Treatment of any unwanted behaviour, in particular those behaviours related to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and obesity, is frequently based on a model that attempts to change behaviour without first understanding the root cause for the behaviour. With this approach, the treatment offered is intermittently successful, appearing to work for some and not others, with relapses occurring frequently.



This paper introduces the application of foundational principles of Functional Behaviour Assessment as a means of practically assessing the reasons for a person’s behaviour. From this perspective, we are able to gain an in-depth understanding of ‘why the unwanted behaviours are being used’ and base the treatment plan on the outcomes of this assessment. Tanya Curtis from Fabic has taken the previously complex and thus often inaccessible principles of Functional Behaviour Assessment and created three simple practical steps that, when applied, create a template for understanding and changing behaviour.



When applied in the clinical setting, these principles result in long-term behaviour change for clients using any unwanted behaviours including those exhibiting unwanted and harmful eating patterns, thus meeting the criteria for eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and/or obesity