‘Theory of mind’ in anorexia nervosa

Tchanturia, Kate; Happé, Francesca; Godley, Joanne; Treasure, Janet; Bara-Carril, Nuria; Schmidt, Ulrike

doi:10.1002/erv.608

Cited by 79 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Selective impairment in theory of mind--which represents the ability to make inferences about other people's mental states--is observed also in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (Happé 1994). Although Tchanturia et al (2004) did not find evidence to support a link between theory of mind and anorexia nervosa in patients suffering from the latter, this possibility cannot be entirely ruled out for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, such as the participants of this study. Future studies that use clinical tools to explore the prevalence of eating-disordered behaviors are needed in order to further substantiate the current findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Comparison of Eating Attitudes between Adolescent Girls with and without Asperger Syndrome: Daughters’ and Mothers’ Reports

Kalyva

2008

J Autism Dev Disord

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Despite the evidence that individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) have a propensity for being underweight or having comorbid eating disorders, no previous research has compared the eating attitudes of adolescent girls with AS to typically developing peers. This study compared reports of eating problems provided by the adolescent girls themselves (56 with and 56 without AS) and their mothers on the EAT-26. Results indicated that adolescent girls with AS are at a higher risk for eating problems than their typically developing peers according to their reports and the reports of their mothers. Moreover, it was found that although the agreement between mothers' and daughter's reports is very satisfactory, mothers of girls with AS report statistically less eating-disordered behaviors than their daughters.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Comparison of Eating Attitudes between Adolescent Girls with and without Asperger Syndrome: Daughters’ and Mothers’ Reports

Kalyva

2008

J Autism Dev Disord

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“…Mentalization is consequently believed to be involved in the development of self-organization and affect regulation (Fonagy & Target, 1997). Deficits in these capacities have been found among inpatient eating-disordered adults and adolescents (Rothschild-Yakar, Levy-Shiff, Fridman-Balaban, Gur, & Stein, 2010;Tchanturia et al, 2004;Ward et al, 2001). Eating-disordered adult inpatients have also been found to be insecurely attached (Armstrong & Roth, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Deficits in mentalization: a risk factor for future development of eating disorders among pre-adolescent girls

Cate

Khademi

Judd³

et al. 2013

Advances in Eating Disorders

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Modern psychoanalytic developmental theory suggests that a child's inability to make sense of her own mind and those of others (i.e. mentalization) leaves her vulnerable to communicate through action instead of words, which can include somatization in the form of an eating disorder (ED). This pilot study tested the correlation between ED risk and insecure attachment among 76 preadolescent girls and compared the mentalization capacities of girls with high and low vulnerability to EDs. Girls in fourth through sixth grades were given tests measuring their ED risk and attachment styles. Thirty subjects with the highest and lowest scores on measures of ED were then administered a mentalization picture task to measure their capacity to mentalize. The analysis of the data indicated a significant negative correlation between ED risk and attachment style as well as ED risk and mentalization capacity, i.e. girls in the high-risk group for ED had significantly lower scores on attachment and mentalization. Implications of findings for future development of ED prevention programs are discussed, including the importance of psychological variables in prevention of EDs and incorporating a mentalization component into existing ED prevention programs.

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“…104 A subgroup also have deficits in theory of mind tasks. 105 More work is needed to define the emotional phenotype in individuals with eating disorders.…”

Section: The Emotional Endophenotypementioning

confidence: 99%

Getting beneath the Phenotype of Anorexia Nervosa: The Search for Viable Endophenotypes and Genotypes

Treasure

2007

Can J Psychiatry

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Treatment for anorexia nervosa has changed little from that described by Gull over a century ago. To focus merely on symptomatic relief from "not eating," as occurs with some forms of hospital care, is primitive. The evidence base to guide treatment is thin. Nevertheless, there is hope that better understanding of the causes and maintaining factors may translate into more sophisticated treatments. This review aims to look beyond the overt and startling "not eating" phenotype of anorexia nervosa and consider eating disorder endophenotypes. The first part of the review sets the eating behaviour, clinical, and psychopathological features into the context of what is now understood about the central control of appetite. The evidence base for a framework of potential eating disorder endophenotypes follows. Finally, ideas about how to translate endophenotypes into treatment are introduced. Clinical Implications· New treatments for AN that are specifically tailored to address risk factors (causal or maintaining) may improve the outcome of AN. · Cognitive remediation addressing how AN sufferers think (for example, the superiority of detail over global processing and the difficulty in changing set) rather than thought content could be used to change compulsive elements of the psychopathology. · The vulnerability and plasticity of the reward and motivation pathways in adolescence may explain how a failure of treatment early in the course of the illness may lead to a poor outcome. Limitations· This is not a systematic review of risk factors for AN. · Little to no research exists examining how genetic factors moderate or mediate some of the biological aspects of AN. · Some aspects of the eating disorder phenotype are moderated by environmental factors, and research designs that examine interactions between fixed and fluid aspects of the psychopathology are needed.

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‘Theory of mind’ in anorexia nervosa

Cited by 79 publications

References 23 publications

Comparison of Eating Attitudes between Adolescent Girls with and without Asperger Syndrome: Daughters’ and Mothers’ Reports

Comparison of Eating Attitudes between Adolescent Girls with and without Asperger Syndrome: Daughters’ and Mothers’ Reports

Deficits in mentalization: a risk factor for future development of eating disorders among pre-adolescent girls

Getting beneath the Phenotype of Anorexia Nervosa: The Search for Viable Endophenotypes and Genotypes

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