Empirically Validated Treatments For Eating Disorders

Today’s Los Angeles Times contained an article which highlights Family Based Treatment and Cognitive Behavioral Treatment, two treatments I provide:

Today, doctors and therapists focus on a handful of treatments that have been validated by clinical studies. For teens with anorexia, the first-line treatment is something called family-based therapy, in which parents and siblings work with the patient at home to help restore normal eating habits, said Dr. James Lock, an adolescent psychiatrist at Stanford University who specializes in treating eating disorders. Treating patients at home instead of in a hospital setting is less disruptive to their lives and is thought to promote recovery.

The therapy cures about 40% of patients in three to six months, and another 40% to 50% improve but remain ill, studies have found. The remaining 10% stay the same or get worse.

Researchers are still investigating the best way to treat teens with bulimia. Evidence is mounting in favor of cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves helping individuals change their attitudes and thoughts about food and body image. Studies show that about 40% of people with bulimia will recover after three to six months and another 40% will improve but still struggle with the disease; 20% remain the same or get worse, according to a 2010 review in the journal Minerva Psychiatry.

Full article available here: