ABSTRACT
Although most models of the eating disorders (ED) do not view early experiences as causal in developing eating problems, links between early events and later eating difficulties are widely noted. For example, binge eating is associated with childhood abuse, schema-level cognitions mediate childhood experiences and later binge eating, and improved treatment efficacy is possible with models that connect past experiences in the development of binge eating. Schema therapy (ST) for transdiagnostic binge eating increases awareness of maladaptive schemas or modes (clusters of schemas), identifies early experiences from which they developed, and heals maladaptive schemas, thereby reducing the drive for binge eating behaviours. Whereas traditional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) addresses negative automatic thoughts about food, eating, shape and weight, ST targets schemas, deep underlying beliefs, such as defectiveness or emotional deprivation. In this chapter we will introduce the schema model for binge eating disorders, outline the evidence and introduce a case study.
