A TREATMENT being pioneered in the region to help people who harm themselves or develop eating disorders is attracting international interest.

Self-harm and eating disorders - such as anorexia and bulimia - are notoriously difficult to treat, but a new intensive programme of therapy that has been put together by a charitable psychiatric hospital is achieving successes.

The Acorn programme is one of several holistic services devised and provided for psychiatric patients at The Retreat hospital, York. The hospital is widely used by the NHS and other organisations to help people with mental health problems.

Interest in the success of the scheme, which creates a treatment programme tailored to individual needs, has spread, with requests from the UK and Europe for health professionals to visit the hospital to learn more about the methods used.

Dr Chris Holman, consultant psychiatrist at the hospital, said: "The Acorn programme, developed by staff here, offers an intensive programme of therapy for clients who self-harm or develop eating disorders as a result of difficulties managing their emotions.

"These behaviours usually become something of a downward spiral, leaving the sufferer feeling even worse about him or herself."

Hospital bosses have also produced a video about the Acorn programme.

Dr Holman said: "At the heart of the approach is a strategy to reduce self-harming behaviours and impulses and to reduce any behaviour which would be likely to affect the person's ability to use therapy.

"Treatment is aimed at teaching the client to deal with feelings effectively. On these foundations, we then work to help people build a quality of life.