Are psychotherapies effective in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa? A systematic review.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a lethal psychiatric disorder and the most common cause of psychiatric hospital admission amongst adolescents in the West. This paper is a systematic review to assess the clinical effectiveness of psychotherapies in the management of AN. Four specific online databases -EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database were searched and selected articles were reviewed. Reviewed studies demonstrated clinical effectiveness of various types of interventions including psychotherapy in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI), weight gain, psychological functioning, social adjustment and ` recovery at follow-up'. The best recovery rates were with Family Therapy (FT). Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was not established by the review. Other types of psychotherapies and non-psychotherapeutic management strategies like Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT) or interpersonal therapy (IPT), cognitive analytical therapy or dietary advice (TAU) or non-specific supportive clinical management (NSSCM) were equally effective.