Individuals suffering from eating disorders may benefit from “talking therapies,” a type of therapy that aims to correct obsessive feelings, announced UK researchers. They stated that this form of cognitive behavioral therapy could be the answer to the majority of these disorders.
An American Journal of Psychiatry study, conducted by the University of Oxford, believes this method to be “complete and lasting.” Currently, the treatment is authoritatively recommended just for bulimia patients.
Statistics say that a million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder, mainly anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
About 40% of those with eating disorders have bulimia, 20% have anorexia, and the rest have “atypical disorders”, a combination of bulimic and anorexic-type symptoms.
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence has supported cognitive behavioral therapy for bulimia, but Professor Christopher Fairburn, the Wellcome Trust funded researcher who headed the project, insists that his therapy may reach a lot more people. His study pays primary attention to bulimia and “atypical” patients.
The technique involves a series of counseling meetings shows the person involved the links between their emotions and behavior, and address and change the behavior.
Professor Fairburn created two versions especially for people with eating disorders, one focused entirely on the eating problems, and the second one, which address not only the eating disorder, but other issues that may be causing to it.
After their work, researchers discovered most patients had reacted well. Two-thirds showed a “complete and lasting” reaction, with many of the other third presenting considerable development.
Even though the study did not target anorexia, a second study, currently being worked on, is showing hopeful results.
Professor Fairburn stated: “Now, for the first time, we have a single treatment which can be effective at treating the majority of cases, without the need for patients to be admitted into hospital.
“It is increasingly being used across the NHS, and has the potential to improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people living with eating disorders.”
Susan Muir is a patient who insists that CBT techniques freed her from a long battle with an eating disorder.
“The CBT helped me realize what I was doing, and turned those irrational thoughts into rational ones,” Muir said. “It really helped me deal with my self-esteem problems and made me feel very positive.”
Susan Ringwood, the chief executive of Beat, the eating disorders campaign group, noted that: “This research shows that people can benefit from psychological therapy even at a very low weight.
“There has been so little research into eating disorders and anorexia in particular, and this has really added to our knowledge in a challenging field.”
Dr Alan Cohen, mental health spokesperson for the Royal College of GPs, is pleased with the results.
He said: “Access to this service, and appropriate training for therapists to deliver this new form of treatment, is very important.”
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