A professor from the University of Washington is leading a new study to determine which of three treatments works best on individuals who are struggling with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.
Professor Susan Byrne will provide ten months of free treatment to 200 anorexic adults from various cities in Australia. The aim of the treatments is to restore them to normal weights and healthy eating habits.
- The treatments under consideration are Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy developed at the Oxford University, the Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults, developed in the Maudsley Hospital in London, and the Specialists Support Clinical Management for Anorexia Nervosa designed in New Zealand.
- The Maudsley approach enlists the patient's entire family into treatment.
- The New Zealand approach involves clinical management and supportive therapy
- Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a short-term therapy focused on symptoms and thinking processes that maintain the eating disorder.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an excessive fear of gaining weight and disordered eating patterns. One in five anorexics die within 15 years, which means the disease has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
Labels: anorexia, treatment, research
Posted By: Jane St. Clair
