Targeting maladaptive overcontrol with radically open dialectical behaviour therapy in a day programme for adolescents with restrictive eating disorders: an uncontrolled case series

Journal of Eating Disorders

Elizabeth Goddard¹  Mima Simic¹  Catherine Stewart¹  Julian Baudinet¹  Helena Griffiths¹  Cecily Donnelly¹ 

[1] Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders, Maudsley Hospital, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE8 5AZ, London, UK;

关键词: RO-DBT;    Eating disorders;    Anorexia nervosa;    Day programme;    Partial hospitalization programme;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-020-00338-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundRadically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target maladaptive overcontrol, a proposed core difficulty of restrictive eating disorders. RO-DBT is now the main group treatment model at the Intensive day Treatment Programme (ITP), Maudsley Hospital. This ITP case series aimed to investigate whether overcontrol is associated with restrictive eating disorder symptoms in adolescents and to evaluate ITP outcomes since RO-DBT skills classes were introduced.MethodSelf-report measures of eating disorder symptoms and temperament, personality and social characteristics linked to overcontrol were collected at assessment and discharge from ITP for all consecutive adolescents who attended between February 2015 and January 2019 (N = 131). Weight change, global outcomes and treatment needs post-ITP were also recorded.ResultsEating disorder symptoms at assessment were significantly correlated with overcontrol factors, including social connectedness (r = −.67), reward responsivity (r = −.54), and cognitive inflexibility (r = .52). Adolescents stayed in ITP on average 13.40 weeks. 70.8% had a Good-Intermediate outcome on Morgan-Russell scale. 4.6% did not respond and were referred to inpatient treatment from ITP. Significant improvements in drive for thinness (d = .33), depressive mood (d = .41), social connectedness (d = .48), and emotional expressiveness (d = .97) were reported at discharge. No changes were observed in perfectionism or negative temperament.ConclusionsThis study offers preliminary evidence that eating disorder symptoms are associated with overcontrol factors in adolescence and that they can improve with RO-DBT informed day programme treatment. RO-DBT is a promising treatment that offers a new way of conceptualising treatment targets and recovery for adolescent restrictive eating disorders.

【 授权许可】

CC BY