Clinicians’ views on working with anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder comorbidity: a qualitative study

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Caroline Norton¹  Emma Kinnaird²  Kate Tchanturia³ 

[1] Eating Disorders National Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK;King’s College London, London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK;King’s College London, London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK;Eating Disorders National Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK;Illia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia;PO59, King’s College London, IoPPN, Psychological Medicine, 16 De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK;

关键词: Anorexia nervosa;    Autism spectrum disorder;    Treatment;    Qualitative study;    Comorbidity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-017-1455-3

 received in 2017-05-17, accepted in 2017-08-03,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAnorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) form a relatively common comorbidity, with poorer illness outcomes and poorer responses to treatments for AN compared to individuals without ASD. However, the treatment of this comorbidity remains poorly understood: no research to date has examined how clinicians currently approach treating AN/ASD. This study aimed to explore the experiences of clinicians working with comorbid AN/ASD using qualitative methods in order to identify areas for future improvement.MethodsInterviews with individual clinicians (n = 9) were carried out and explored using thematic analysis.ResultsThe findings suggest that many clinicians lack confidence in treating this comorbidity, which requires specific changes to treatment to accommodate the issues raised by comorbid ASD. At present, any adaptations to treatment are based on the previous experience of individual clinicians, rather than representing a systematic approach.ConclusionsFurther research is needed to empirically assess potential treatment modifications for this group and to establish guidelines for best clinical practice.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017