There isn’t a diagnostic test that can be run to diagnose an eating disorder, just like there isn’t a diagnostic test to tell us that someone is “cured” or “recovered” from an eating disorder. There are objective markers of recovery that we can look at including weight regain, resumption of menses, normalization of vitals to name a few. But as we know, there is much more to recovery than these objective markers. In fact, someone may have an eating disorder and never once display any objective abnormalities so we must look deeper, beyond the surface. This can make the concept of ‘recovery’ a little murky and gray. It can be challenging to tease apart when an individual has made the transition from being in an active eating disorder to being in early recovery.
What is Quasi Recovery?
There’s no definition for quasi recovery. I’ve heard it also referred to as “pseudo recovery” or “partial recovery. Quasi recovery is the state in which an individual is no longer deeply entrenched in the throes of their eating disorder, while also not yet in full recovery.
At this point in recovery, it’s likely an individual may be receiving external messages from healthcare providers or family and friends that they are fully recovered because it appears they are on the outside. This may increase internal pressure in the individual to fully embody recovery making it difficult for even oneself to recognize, let alone confide in another, that they may be in pseudo recovery.
Examples of Quasi Recovery
Here are a few examples of what quasi recovery may look like.
Client 1: Joe
Joe’s team determined that he is weight restored and vitals are normal. He’s been meeting his meal plan pretty consistently for a few months and has stuck to his team’s recommendations that he limits his movement to 5 days per week. All signs point to Joe being in recovery except for the fact that deep down, he doesn’t always feel that way. His eating disorder thoughts are still pretty loud. He’s told this is normal at this point in early recovery, but he worries he wouldn’t be able to stick to this movement recommendation if his team wasn’t checking in with him each week. He tolerates the weight he has gained, but still has a deep-seated fear of the number going up. He follows his meal plan, but when presented with the opportunity to stray from his normal schedule like going out to eat, he notices he is much more conscious of what he eats that day.
Client 2: Alyssa
Alyssa’s friends and family are so proud of her for graduating from a higher level of care. She has been in several levels of eating disorder treatment over the past couple of months, and is finally ready to return back to her outpatient team. Alyssa has struggled with her eating disorder for six years, never going to a higher level of care (HLOC) until this past year. She confesses that despite working with her outpatient provider all of those years, she was nowhere near recovery. Now that she has undergone more intense levels of care and is truly motivated, she feels pressure to be 100% cured. Her and her support system didn’t put in all this hard work for the eating disorder to still be lingering. So she keeps it a secret that she still body checks every time she goes to the bathroom, jumps on her parent’s scale on hard days, or still counts out her crackers–but they taught her to do this in treatment to make sure she was getting enough so it’s not disordered, right?
Is Quasi Recovery Common in Eating Disorders?
Yes! It’s very typical for an individual to feel this way when they are transitioning from a higher level of care to a lower level of care. During this transition, they will naturally have less support, so there can be pressure to be able to “do recovery” on their own. It’s also common when someone is adapting to a new phase of life such as becoming a parent, because they may feel as though they “shouldn’t be” struggling anymore related to societal pressure to throw their personal concerns to the side for the baby and to be a role model for their child. Quasi recovery is not limited to these two scenarios.
What do I do if I think I might be in quasi-recovery?
Talk to your team. Be open with them about your concerns. They are here to help you and not judge you. As eating disorder providers, we know that the journey to recovery is complicated and takes a different length of time for everyone. By not bringing up these concerns, it can risk relapse of the eating disorder or a continuation of feeling ‘stuck’ in between the eating disorder and recovery.
Final Thoughts on Eating Disorder Quasi-Recovery: Everything You Need to Know
Quasi recovery is a common phase where someone may seem recovered outwardly but still struggles with disordered thoughts and behaviors. If you’re in this stage, it’s important to talk to your support team. Open conversations can help you move forward and prevent relapse. Recovery is a journey, and seeking help when needed is a crucial step toward healing. If you need guidance, the dietitians at Courage to Nourish are here to support you.
If you don’t have a dietitian, call us! The dietitians at Courage to Nourish specialize in eating disorders and would be honored to navigate recovery with you. Contact us today to schedule up free discovery call (302) 202-4532
We are here to support you in your eating disorder recovery
Courage to Nourish is a group of eating disorder specialized dietitians. We have in person locations in Alexandria, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland. and College Park, Maryland. We offer virtual services across the state of Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. We offer individual nutrition therapy. As well as support groups. We would love to guide you in building a better relationship with food.
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Haley joined Courage to Nourish because she shares an anti-diet, weight neutral philosophy in her treatment strategies and she wanted to work in an outpatient setting to foster deeper connections with clients focusing on helping clients repair their relationships with food
and their bodies. To learn more about Haley and her practice style, click here.