How and why does the disease progress? A qualitative investigation of the transition into long-standing anorexia nervosa

Journal of Eating Disorders

Stephen Touyz¹  Paul Rhodes²  Catherine Broomfield² 

[1] InsideOut Institute, Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, NSW, Australia;School of Psychology, Griffith Taylor Building, The University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, NSW, Australia;

关键词: Anorexia nervosa;    Long-standing;    Transition;    Progression;    Trauma;    Functionality;    Identity;    Treatment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-021-00458-w

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveDespite an increased interest in understanding characteristics of long-standing anorexia nervosa (AN), there is a lack of knowledge into the processes that occur with the development and maintenance of the disease. This has impeded the development of novel treatment approaches that may prove more effective than traditional medical models of therapy. To improve the prognosis of these long-standing presentations, an understanding as to how and why the AN disease progresses is required. It was therefore the aim of the current study to investigate the transition of AN from earlier to later stages.MethodThe study adopted a narrative inquiry approach and a total of 11 women with long-standing AN participated in an interview. The newly developed photovoice method assisted in data collection with typologies of chronic illness facilitating the emergence of salient themes.ResultsThe qualitative analysis resulted in the identification of five themes: (a) transition, (b) trauma, (c) functionality, (d) identity, and (e) failure of current models of treatment.ConclusionsTogether with identifying key themes, the study provides insight into some possible reasons why current treatment models are failing to promote recovery. Future research examining the effectiveness of treatment that targets underlying causes and maintaining factors of the illness are suggested. Additional education for health professionals is also recommended in order to reduce the trauma that is currently being experienced by some patients with a long-standing illness.

【 授权许可】

CC BY