Time to make a change: a plea for experimental research on key processes in anorexia nervosa (symposium)

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a life-threatening eating disorder, characterized by persistent pathological weight loss behaviors and an intense fear of weight gain, food and eating. Whilst there is an abundance of scientific theories on the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating behavior in AN, there is a lack of empirical and experimental research testing these theoretical assumptions. The need for a theory firmly grounded in empirical evidence becomes strikingly clear when we consider the current treatment outcomes for AN: For adults with AN, recovery rates after treatment are fairly poor. For adolescents with AN, the prognosis is somewhat brighter in that family therapy seems moderately effective. However, a substantial proportion of adult and adolescent patients fails to change their behavior in the long-term. Moreover, working mechanisms of therapy programs also remain largely empirically unexplored. This calls for a paradigm shift towards more experimental research on key processes that potentially contribute to the persistence of AN. Only by manipulating presumed causal factors experimentally and measuring the effects on core symptoms of AN, we can determine whether these factors are truly involved in maintaining AN. The latter would provide us with fresh ideas for treatment innovation regarding which factors should be addressed during treatment.
The goal of the current symposium is to demonstrate innovative research on key processes in AN designed to advance our understanding of the complex mechanisms contributing to AN maintenance. We will highlight how each potential maintaining mechanism is currently being addressed in day-to-day treatment of AN and how it could lead to treatment innovation.