title: Enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: an alternative to family therapy?
abstract: A specific form of family therapy (family-based treatment) is the leading treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa. As this treatment has certain limitations, alternative approaches are needed. "Enhanced" cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E) is a potential candidate given its utility as a treatment for adults with eating disorder psychopathology. The aim of the present study was to establish, in a representative cohort of patients with marked anorexia nervosa, the immediate and longer term outcome following CBT-E. Forty-nine adolescent patients were recruited from consecutive referrals to a community-based eating disorder clinic. Each was offered 40 sessions of CBT-E over 40 weeks from a single therapist. Two-thirds completed the full treatment with no additional input. In these patients there was a substantial increase in weight together with a marked decrease in eating disorder psychopathology. Over the 60-week post-treatment follow-up period there was little change despite minimal subsequent treatment. These findings suggest that CBT-E may prove to be a cost-effective alternative to family-based treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Garda (VR), Italy. rdalleg@tin.it
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dalle Grave
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calugi
authors.forename: Helen A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Doll
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Fairburn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D007558:Italy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index