Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for adolescents with eating disorders

Anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) are grouped together under the term eating disorders. Due to its typical onset in adolescence, AN in particular represents a frequent disorder with often an unfavourable course in this age range (Stein-hausen 2002). The mental, social and physical consequences are serious. Research has shown that cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) has good effectiveness in adult patients with AN, BN and BED and that it is superior to other treatments. However, there have been few studies on children and adolescents. The effectiveness in adolescence can thus be judged only when the results in adulthood are taken into account. At present, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of CBT in adolescence.