Abstract
Objective:
Eating disorders are common and serious disorders in adolescence characterized by treatment resistance, high mortality and signifi cant decline in life quality. This review aimed to discuss eating disorders and current psychotherapeutic treatment options.
Method:
Studies and reports containing keywords; “adolescents”, “anorexia nervosa”, “bulimia nervosa” , “binge eating disorder” and “psychotherapy” within PubMed and Turkish Medical Index databases were searched and re-evaluated by using relevant diagnostic criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5).
Results:
While family based treatments in adolescents with anorexia nervosa have increasingly been stressed out as among most important interventions, cognitive behavioral therapies in bulimia nervosa and interpersonal therapies in binge eating disorder were shown to be effective, as well.
Discussion:
Since eating disorders during adolescence are related to a diverse of underlying neurobiological and emotional processes, multiple treatment models including families of affected individuals that would also focus on biopsychosocial developmental stages and hallmarks of adolescence might be more effi cient compared to modalities involving single or specifi c model to address the disorder. Further randomized controlled clinical studies involving adolescents diagnosed with eating disorders are warranted.
Keywords: Adolescent, Eating disorder, Psychotherapy
