PSYC 210 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11.3: Binge Eating Disorder, Binge Eating, Family Therapy
30 Apr 2018
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Department
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Professor
11.3$Treatment$of$Eating$Disorders$
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Medications!
• Often!treated!with!antidepressants!because!of!comorbidity!with!antidepressants!
o Can!help!reduce!purging!and!binge!eating!
• Many!people!with!bulimia!drop!out!of!treatment!
• Most!people!relapse!when!antidepressant!medications!are!withdrawn!
• Anti-obesity!drugs!are!being!studied!to!see!if!they!help!in!binge!eating!disorder!
!!
Psychological0treatment!
Psychological!treatment!of!anorexia!
• Therapy!for!anorexia!is!a!two-tiered!process!
o Immediate!goal:!help!the!person!gain!weight!in!order!to!avoid!medical!complications!and!
the!possibility!of!death!
• Operant!conditioning!behavior!therapy!programs!have!been!somewhat!successful!in!
achieving!weight!gain!in!short!term!
o Second!goal:!long-term!maintenance!of!weight!gain!
• More!of!a!challenge!for!the!field!
• CBT!with!supportive!psychotherapy!and!education!about!anorexia!are!helpful!in!reducing!ED!
symptoms!and!depression!
• At!the!end!of!treatment,!BMI!tends!to!be!in!the!mild!severity!range!
• Family!therapy!is!based!on!the!notion!that!interactions!with!family!members!can!play!a!role!in!
treating!the!disorder!
o Family-based!therapy!(FBT)!focuses!on!helping!parents!restore!their!daughter!to!a!healthy!
weight!while!also!building!up!family!functioning!in!the!context!of!adolescent!development!
!!
Psychological!treatment!of!bulimia!
• Goal:!develop!more!typical!eating!patterns!
• CBT!is!most!highly!recommended!
o Encourages!people!to!question!society's!standards!for!physical!attractiveness!
o Uncover!and!then!change!the!beliefs!around!actions!related!to!weight!
o Alters!the!"all!or!nothing"!thinking!towards!eating!
o Works!at!altering!unrealistic!demands!and!cognitive!distortions!!
• Eat!regular!meals!three!times!a!day!
• Antidepressants!can!be!added!for!comorbid!depression!if!present!
• Exposure!and!response!prevention!(ERP)!involves!discouraging!a!person!from!purging!after!eating!
foods!
• Guided!self-help!CBT!
o People!receive!self!help!books!on!topics!like!perfectionism,!body!image,!negative!thinking,!
food,!and!health!
• Interpersonal!therapy!(IPT)!is!also!used,!but!CBT!is!usually!more!effective!
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Psychological!treatment!of!binge!eating!disorder!
• CBT!is!effective!and!restrains!eating!by!emphasizing!self-monitoring,!self-control,!and!problem!
solving!related!to!eating!
• IPT!can!be!as!effective!as!CBT!and!guided!self-help!CBT!in!reducing!binge!eating!
