ABSTRACT
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious mental illness with mortality rates that are among the highest of any psychiatric illness. The development of new treatments has been identified by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Workshop on Anorexia Nervosa as a high priority (Agras et al. 2004). However, despite this research agenda and despite the long history of documenting the complexities of AN treatment in the clinical literature, establishing empirically based treatments for AN presents significant challenges for clinical researchers. In fact, for all phases of AN treatment and for all age groups, we have more questions than answers. Programmatic research in the treatment of AN is handicapped by the reality that full-syndrome AN is a relatively rare disorder and individuals with AN are ambivalent about treatments that, by definition,
aim to help with weight restoration. Medical complications frequently mean that individuals have to withdraw from clinical studies, and self-initiated dropout rates are high in AN studies, making adequate recruitment difficult. In addition, full recovery often requires a long-term approach and multiple treatments. The result is a dearth of treatment studies for AN (Le Grange and Lock 2005).
