'Helper' or 'punisher'? A qualitative study exploring staff experiences of treating severe and complex eating disorder presentations in inpatient settings.

Background: Eating disorders have been described as challenging to treat, with the most severe cases requiring inpatient admission. Previous studies have explored staff's perspectives on eating disorders and service provision. However, little is currently known about how staff experience working with severe and complex eating disorder presentations in inpatient settings and how they may be impacted by their work.