Anorexia Nervosa
Conditions
Keywords
Anorexia nervosa, Adolescents, Family therapy
Brief summary
This study will compare the effectiveness of two different family treatments for the treatment of adolescent anorexia nervosa.
Detailed description
The long-term objective of this study is to enhance the treatment and outcome of anorexia nervosa (AN). Research on the treatment of AN has lagged that of other conditions, even other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa. The focus of this study is on adolescent AN. Successful early treatment is likely to reduce the prevalence of chronic AN with its high rates of morbidity and mortality and high health care costs. The most promising treatment for adolescent AN is a specific form of family therapy called behavioral family therapy (BFT). This treatment is focused on the disordered eating behavior that characterizes AN and enables parents to refeed their child. Although there have been several small scale studies of BFT there has been no controlled comparison with another form of family therapy. Therefore we propose to use systems family therapy (SFT) which has been developed to represent the type of family therapy practiced in the community. One hundred and sixty adolescents of both genders aged 12-18 years meeting DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa will be entered to the study. Recruitment is projected to extend for 2 years. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the two types of family therapy. Family therapy will be given for 36-weeks. For the purpose of the present study, patients will be followed for 12-months after the end of family treatment. Hence, each family will participate for approximately 2-years, with a total participation time of some 40-hours. In a sub-study blood will be drawn from those volunteering for genetic analysis focusing on the subset of non-responders to treatments.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALFamily Behavior Therapy
This treatment is usually delivered in two phases: In the first phase there is an initial investigation of family behavior around feeding using a family meal followed by family therapy focused on enhancing feeding of the anorexic child in order to promote weight gain. In the second phase, once weight gain is well established the adolescent is given greater autonomy over feeding and in later sessions over other issues.
BEHAVIORALSystems Family Therapy
This therapy is applied in three phases. 1. In the first 2 or 3-sessions the treatment is explained to the family and an initial examination of family issues begins. 2. In the second phase family interactions and psychological processes are explored with clarification for family members. 3. In the third phase knowledge of family patterns is refined aiming for behavior change.
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Stanford University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Diagnosis of anorexia nervosa with Ideal Body Weight \>75%
Exclusion criteria
Current psychotic illness or mental retardation that would prohibit the use of psychotherapy Medically unstable for outpatient treatment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Percent Ideal Body Weight (%IBW) | 9-months and 21-months | Patients weighed in gowns on calibrated balance beam machines and height assessed with a stadiometer. Percent Ideal Body Weight calculated on a study designed calculator. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Eating Disorder Psychopathology | 9 months and 21 months | Eating Disorders Examination obtained in a standardized interview assessing: Binge eating, purging, weight and shape concerns. Assessed as the global measure. |
Countries
Canada, United States
Outcome results
None listed