Treatment for Young Adults With Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness that occurs in an estimated 0.5 to 3.7% of women. The illness severely affects physical, emotional, and social functioning. The mortality rates associated with this severely disabling condition are higher than those for any other psychiatric disorder and substantially higher than those expected in the general population. Lower weight at presentation, longer illness duration, and alcohol abuse are associated with a higher risk of mortality.

Treatment-outcome for adult AN is poor with a quarter of adults with AN having poor outcome. In AN, promising outcomes are seen in family-based treatment (FBT) for adolescent patients who present between the ages of 12 to 18 with a short duration of illness. A manualized version of FBT has now been tested in several studies and case series, showing that well over 80% of participants had good or intermediate outcome at post-treatment. Despite its efficacy with adolescents, FBT has not been utilized with young adults.

The purpose of this study is to develop and refine FBT to promote weight gain in young adults with Anorexia Nervosa.

Inclusion criteria

• Meet DSM-IV criteria for AN (restricting/binge-purge type) (BMI 16.0-18.5)
• Medically stable for outpatient treatment
• Availability of at least one supportive adult of choice in study client's environment
• Stable dose of psychotropic medication (8 weeks) for co-morbid condition

Exclusion criteria

• Associated physical illness that necessitates hospitalization
• Psychotic illness or other mental illness requiring hospitalization
• Current dependence on drugs or alcohol
• Physical conditions (e.g. diabetes mellitus, pregnancy) known to influence eating or weight
• Previous Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia