Treating Anorexia as Addiction: A Case Study with 2-Years of Follow-Up

Rodríguez-Martín, Boris C.; Martín-García, María; Martínez-Infiesta, Inés; Souied-Espada, Atef; Cruz-Medina, Paz de La

doi:10.26502/jppd.2572-519x0096

Cited by 2 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…This model employs 3-8 weeks of residential treatment with: interdisciplinary treatment staff; twelve-step program implementation in which patients work through the first 3-5 steps during admission (Table 1); a holistic, multiphasic disease concept and recovery approach; a drug-free treatment environment; aftercare involving twelve-step group/meeting attendance [48,49]. The efficacy of this model has been demonstrated in a variety of studies for substance-related and addiction disorders [50][51][52] and eating disorders [23,24,53]. 2) to reinforce their recovery [13][14][15][16][17]22,27,30].…”

Section: How Is Overeaters Anonymous Used For Treatment? Variety In Oa Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on the effectiveness of OA is limited to lower levels of evidence that include gray literature (a 2002 dissertation [27]), case reports [24,63], case series [23], and some qualitative studies [41,73,74]. These lower levels of evidence are generally supportive of OA's effectiveness, and are building toward the need for higher quality research (e.g., randomized controlled trials).…”

Section: Research On Overeaters Anonymousmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As addressed in Section 3.2 ("Research on Overeaters Anonymous"), research on the effectiveness of OA is limited to lower levels of evidence that include gray literature (a 2002 dissertation [27]), qualitative studies [41,73,74], case reports [24,63], and case series [23]. These lower levels of evidence are supportive and are building toward the need for higher quality research (e.g., randomized controlled trials).…”

Section: Lack Of High-quality Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The way in which OA is used as a treatment intervention can vary. OA can be used as an adjunct/component of a multi-disciplinary treatment program [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], as occurs in the “Twelve-Step Minnesota Treatment Model [ 48 ]” [ 23 , 24 ]. OA can also be sought out independently by an individual or referred as an adjunct or standalone treatment [ 14 , 16 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Demystifying Overeaters Anonymousmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a mutual-support, twelve-step intervention and established fellowship for individuals who self-identify as having problematic relationships with food or eating [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. OA members use the Twelve Steps ( Table 1 ) [ 14 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], Nine Tools ( Table 2 ) [ 17 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], and Twelve Traditions ( Table 3 ) [ 15 ] of OA, adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), to support each other in “recovering from unhealthy relationships with food and body image [ 16 ].” OA can be used as an adjunct/component of a multi-disciplinary treatment program [ 23 , 24 , 25 ] and can also be used independently by an individual or referred as an adjunct or standalone treatment (see Section 2.3 ) [ 14 , 16 , 26 , 27 ]. The OA fellowship currently has >60,000 members with >6000 groups meeting in >75 countries and >20 languages (including ESL) [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overeaters Anonymous: An Overlooked Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder

Bray

Rodríguez-Martín²,

Wiss

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The purpose of this communication is to provide an overview as well as the strengths and weaknesses of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) as an intervention for binge eating disorder treatment. Binge eating disorder is associated with low remission rates, high relapse rates, treatment dissatisfaction, and high rates of failure to receive treatment attributed to stigma, misconceptions, lack of diagnosis, access to care, and inadequate insurance coverage. New interventions are needed that can overcome these barriers. OA is a twelve-step program and established fellowship for individuals who self-identify as having problematic relationships with food or eating. OA can be referred clinically or sought out by an individual confidentially, without a diagnosis, and free of charge. OA’s Nine Tools, Twelve Steps, and Twelve Traditions can provide structure, social support, and open, anonymous sharing that fosters a sense of connection and belonging. This may provide benefit to individuals who value structure and social support in their recovery. The tradition of anonymity may also create some challenges for conducting research and may explain the shortage of empirical support. This commentary reviews existing research findings on the effectiveness of twelve-step interventions and OA. Common misunderstandings about and within OA are also addressed and OA’s limitations are discussed. Overall, OA provides a promising option for binge eating disorder treatment that warrants clinical research on its feasibility and efficacy in a way that respects and protects its tradition of anonymity.

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