Cognitive behavioral treatment of eating disorders

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is derived from both the cognitive and behavioral schools of psychology and focuses on the alteration of thoughts and actions with the goal of treating various disorders. The cognitive behavioral treatment of eating disorders emphasizes on the minimization of negative thoughts about body image and the act of eating, and attempts to alter negative and harmful behaviors that are involved in and perpetuate eating disorders. It also encourages the ability to tolerate negative thoughts and feelings as well as the ability to think about food and body perception in a multi-dimensional way. The emphasis is not only placed on altering cognition, but also on tangible practices like making goals and being rewarded for meeting those goals. CBT is a "time-limited and focused approach" which means that it is important for the patients of this type of therapy to have particular issues that they want to address when they begin treatment. CBT has also proven to be one of the most effective treatments for eating disorders. A common form of CBT that is used to treat eating disorders is called CBT-Enhanced (CBT-E) and was developed by Christopher G. Fairburn throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Originally intended for bulimia nervosa specifically, it was eventually extended to all eating disorders. Within Fairburn's enhanced CBT is CBT-Ef, designed to deal particularly with eating habits, and CBT-Eb for other issues that do not directly involve eating. A study which compared two different types of cognitive-behavioral treatments for the patients with eating disorders was conducted. Out of the two targeted treatment approaches, one solely focused on eating disorder features and the other one which was a more complex form of treatment also addressed mood intolerance, clinical perfectionism, low self-esteem and interpersonal difficulties. This study was done involving 154 patients with DSM-IV eating disorders. This involved 20 weeks of treatment and 60 weeks period of closed follow up and the outcomes were measured by independent assessors who had no ideas about the treatment conditions.