What you need to know about getting eating-disorder treatment
Disordered eating became more common during the pandemic. But it's tough to find treatment in Washington. Here's what to know when looking for evidence-based care.
The Mental Health Project
The Mental Health Project is a Seattle Times initiative focused on covering mental and behavioral health. The project illuminates a growing mental health crisis in the Seattle region, Washington state and beyond. It explores the many types of mental illness people experience, spotlights promising treatments and research, and examines actions by government agencies, nonprofits and health providers to address the problem.
Latest Headlines
How insurers prevent lifesaving treatment for eating disorders WATCH
Eating disorders are in a gray area between physical and mental health conditions. Aided by this ambiguity, some insurers deny sick patients’ recommended care.
How a Seattle Times artist portrayed the emotional experience of an eating disorder WATCH
Seattle Times artist Jennifer Luxton was influenced by a teen's personal sketchbook as she animated a film about what it's like to have an eating...
Working on a crisis line made me feel less alone with my anxiety | Mental Health Perspectives
Over the years, Laney Bracket says she's learned that talking with other people her age about her anxiety and mental struggles helps her feel more...
Why so many in crisis are rejected by King County mental health facilities
A 2022 report from King County highlights minor improvements for some facilities. Still, the most vulnerable patients tend to have the least access to care.
King, 21 other WA counties file lawsuit citing state’s mental health failures
If patients aren’t being housed at state psychiatric facilities, prosecutors across the state say they worry about the ripple effect on public safety.
Why I’m grateful I was forced to receive mental health treatment | Mental Health Perspectives
“My psychological disability … was paralyzing, mind-warping and all-consuming,” writes Erin Michael Grimm. Now, she offers a message of hope for others.
Washington buys closed Tukwila psychiatric hospital for nearly $30 million
Washington is expected to pay nearly $30 million for a closed psychiatric hospital that, until recently, housed 13% of King County's involuntary treatment beds.
A Shoreline family spent $250,000 because their insurance refused to cover mental health treatment
Despite their son's history of self harm, a Shoreline family couldn't get insurance coverage for mental health treatment, racking up $250,000 in expenses.