DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

Transdiagnostic approach in understanding eating disorders and obesity
By studying disordered eating instead of looking at each eating disorder separately it
allows researchers to take a transdiagnostic perspective where processes involved (e.g.
emotional) can be considered across eating disorder diagnosis. This may enable findings
to be generalised to the understanding, prevention and treatment of all forms of eating
disorders and obesity and even the associated/co-morbid problems. The advantage of
taking such a perspective is that it may provide an explanation for the observed comorbidity
in clinical practice as ‘pure’ cases of a disorder are thought to be relatively rare
(Kessler, McGonagle, Zhao, Nelson, Hughes, Eshleman, Wittchen and Kendler, 1994).
Research has shown that depression, anxiety, substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive
disorders, personality disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorders are associated with
adolescents diagnosed with eating disorders (Pryor and Wiederman, 1998, Willcox and
Sattler, 1996). Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders were significantly
associated with the diagnosis of AN, whereas substance abuse is associated with a
diagnosis of BN (Granner, Abood, and Black, 2001; Pryor and Wiederman, 1998).
Treatment could therefore be targeted at the psychological processes across all eating
problems which would encourage greater transfer of theoretical and treatment advances
between the disorders. Moreover, this approach might lead to specifying treatment
components that will be effective across the range of eating problems. Furthermore, a
treatment that reverses the maintaining processes in one disorder could lead to an
improvement in all co-morbid disorders present such as depression and/or anxiety.
It has been suggested that a ‘broad approach’ could promote the overall positive wellbeing
of youth (Catalano, Hawkins, Berglund, Pollard, and Arthur, 2002) and therefore
prevent or improve the co-morbidity of eating disorders with other psychological
problems and health-related issues, particularly mood disorders and substance-related
disorders. Such an approach could consist of focusing on a transdiagnostic emotional
process that would affect different eating disorders and co-morbid problems.
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