Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating disorder characterized by extremely low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight (source: wikipedia.org). Many studies reviewed and concluded that AN has a relatively poor prognosis. A guideline (NICE) have also concluded that there is currently no recommended psychological treatment nor is there substantial evidence supporting pharmacological interventions, according to an article of Ann Gen Psychiatry Journals, June 2007.

Neuropsychological studies have shown that patients with Anoreksia Nervosa have difficulties in cognitive flexibility. A Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) then developed based on laboratory findings in order to use cognitive exercises to strengthen thinking skills, according to this article.

Helen Davies from Section of Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK performed a research with its goal to conduct a preliminary investigation of CRT in patients with AN, to explore whether cognitive training improves performance in set shifting tasks, to explore whether CRT exercises are appropriate and acceptable to AN patients, and to use the data to improve a CRT module for AN patients.

They used a method with 45 minute sessions of CRT, then four patients with AN were assessed before and after the ten sessions using five set shifting tests and clinical assessments. At the end, each patient wrote a letter providing feedback on the intervention.

According to the article, hypothetically, CRT works by training basic brain processes via the proliferation and refining of neural connections and teaching adaptive strategies. In other words, the main function of this CRT is to improve the thinking process rather than the content. In their result’s chapter, the researchers stated that eighteen months after receiving CRT, each patient in the case series was contacted to obtain follow up information such as BMI, whether they had been re-admitted to the inpatient ward and whether they were using skills and strategies obtained from the CRT sessions.

In the summary they found that patients enjoyed and completed the CRT intervention performance on cognitive tasks improved and the module could be improved and tailored for people with AN based on feedback from patients and therapists. As the authors said,

This treatment was positively received by patients with a long history of AN and who had several attempts with psychological interventions which may have failed. Patients commented that they found the intervention positive because it was not related to food or emotional material, and the tasks were achievable and fun. Furthermore, patients in this case series found it interesting to explore their thinking strategies and ways of processing information and had a sense of achievement in applying small strategic changes to real behaviours.

Find more complete information about Interventions for Anorexia Nervosa in Case Base Reports in Full PDF Filetype available (source: pubmedcentral.nih.gov). See also another Psychiatry Journal you may look for.