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

Research into effectiveness of current treatment for eating disorders
Gowers and Bryant-Waugh (2004) point out that although eating disorders in children
and adolescents remain a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, the evidence base for
effective interventions is surprisingly weak. The adult literature is growing steadily, but
this is mainly with regard to psychological therapies for Bulimia Nervosa. Their
summary of the recent research literature covering psychological therapies in EDs
concludes that although Fairburn and Harrison’s (2003) CBT model is currently the most
effective treatment most studies only achieve complete remission in about 40% of cases
(Wilson and Fairburn, 2002), the enhanced CBT model continues to be evaluated.
Gowers et al (2004) suggest that future research should focus on psychological therapies
for AN and evaluations of treatments for adult BN which are applied to the treatment of
adolescents such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy
(IPT). As with adults, it is unlikely that CBT will be successful and/or acceptable as the
primary treatment for all adolescents with BN, suggesting a need for further development
and evaluation of a range of other outpatient therapies. It appears that further research to
evaluate treatment approaches in adolescence across the continuum of eating disturbance
is still very much needed.
Why might a transdiagnostic process be important?
Finding a transdiagnostic process appears to be a potentially valuable pursuit as evidence
suggests that individuals do not fit neatly into a diagnostic ED category. There is a higher
prevalence of Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) in comparison to AN
and BN with around half of all eating disorder patients not meeting full criteria for AN or
BN (Turner and Bryant-Waugh, in press, in Gowers and Bryant-Waugh, 2004).
Furthermore, there is a high incidence of movement from one diagnostic ED category to
another over time and there is a high prevalence of co-morbidity alongside EDs or
disordered eating/sub-clinical levels.
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