ObjectiveApproximately 20% of people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and 10% with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) will eventually develop a long‐standing illness. Although there is no set definition for Severe and Enduring eating Disorder (SE‐ED), the common criteria relate to a long duration of the disorder and a number of unsuccessful treatment attempts. Research evidence for treatment of SE‐ED remains limited, thus the objective of this systematic review was to describe different treatment interventions and their effects on SE‐ED‐related outcomes.MethodA systematic search for quantitative treatment studies of adult participants with SE‐ED was conducted in June 2019 (PROSPERO, CRD42018115802) with no restriction on eating disorder type. Altogether, 2,938 studies were included for title and abstract screening.ResultsAfter systematic searches and article screening, 23 studies (3 randomized controlled trials, 3 open‐label studies, 8 naturalistic follow‐up studies, 8 case series and case studies, and 1 partially blinded pilot study) were included in the analysis and data extraction. Methodological quality of the included studies was generally low. Inpatient treatment programs (n = 5) were effective in short‐term symptom reduction, but long‐term results were inconsistent. Outpatient and day‐hospital treatment programs (n = 5) seemed promising for symptom reduction. Drug interventions (n = 5) showed some benefits, especially as adjuvant therapies. Brain stimulation (n = 6) led to improvements in depressive symptoms. Other treatments (n = 2) produced mixed results.DiscussionThis is the first systematic review to examine all of the different treatment interventions that have been studied in SE‐ED. The results will inform future interventions in research and clinical practice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.