To make it clear, all I’ve done is set up an account. However, I feel strongly enough about the beginning questions to evaluate if you have an ED to make a review.
There are five questions, and if you answer with less than two that fit their criteria for an ED, they tell you that you probably don’t have an ED. This is harmful - five questions don’t even cover the myriad of habits and feelings that can indicate even one common ED, like anorexia or bulimia. Another is the focus on being “thin” - there are at least two of those questions which are about weight. Yes, a lot of people with long term anorexia are scary thin - but not all of them. Not to mention, this is supposed to be for anorexia AND bulimia - bulimia is known to cause weight gain due to the constant fluctuations in food availability. Anorexia can too if the person is constantly battling the disordered behaviors and failing. Food insecurity can cause your body to cling to weight. Answering no to being too thin in these questions can lead to it saying you don’t have an ED - that’s dangerous. When you start evaluating people like that and saying “you probably don’t have an ED”, you’re risking turning them off treatment when they NEED it. Eating disorders can kill people - even someone who isn’t severely underweight. It’s SO dangerous the way they have phrased these questions, the lack of comprehensive questions, and the vague yes/no diagnosis at the end. Even the flippant message after you “fail” the test that you can still use the app and it has good resources would be enough to potentially shame someone into not getting help because they think they’re making a big deal of it.
Another note, they include BMI in the app, and ask for your height and weight. I decided to try this app because apps like myfittnesspal use weight goals and track calories - numbers are a pretty common trigger for EDs, so I wanted to find an app that could identify problem behaviors by servings and habits rather than calories. Even the myfitnesspal message at the end of the day saying you can’t close your journal if you’re under 1200 calories can be enough to trigger my disordered thoughts and make me want to get that caloric number lower and lower and lower...apps specifically for eating disorders should avoid including things like this that are common triggers for EDs. That should be pretty obvious.
I was really wanting to give this app a chance because of the food tracking system, but already it seems so bad. This seems like it was created by someone who didn’t bother to do any research on eating disorders and has just gone off the stereotypes of the scary skinny anorexic and the bulimic who frequently throws up and binges. Sorry if that’s not the case developer, but I think you really need to take a hard look at your app and see if it is helpful or harmful. Show it to a couple psychologists and doctors specializing in EDs and ask their opinions. Normally it doesn’t matter if an app doesn’t suit its purpose well, but when it’s regarding a medical situation that can be life and death, and seriously affects people’s lives, it shouldn’t be this poorly suited.
