Sections
Treatment of Eating Disorders: Introduction | Historical Background | Bulimia Nervosa | Binge-Eating Disorder | Anorexia Nervosa | Conclusion | References
Excerpt
Eating disorders are seen frequently in the
clinic, reflecting a combined prevalence in women for anorexia nervosa
(AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED) of about
3.5% for the full disorder and 6% if subthreshold
disorders are included (Hudson et al. 2007). Males
are affected less frequently; about 10% of all cases of
AN and BN are in males, with the proportion rising to about 30% for
BED in clinical samples. Because much comorbid psychopathology is
associated with each of these disorders, including current major
depression in about 25% of cases, the treatment plan must
take any such disorders into account. Two forms of treatment, psychopharmacological
and psychotherapeutic, are effective in the treatment of BN and
BED, and possibly in AN. Hence, determining how to sequence or combine
treatment modalities is an important issue.