The Utility and Acceptability of a Self-Help Smartphone Application for Eating Disorder Behaviors.

Objective: Smartphone applications (apps) for eating disorders are a promising approach to assist individuals who do not receive traditional treatment. This study examines usage characteristics, perceptions regarding the acceptability of a new self-help intervention developed for users with eating disorders, and associations between attitudes and use patterns.

Methods: 189 individuals pilot-tested a personalized app-based program, and 133 completed the required components of the pilot-test over an 8-day period.

Subgrouping the users of a specialized app for eating disorders.

Although mobile technologies for eating disorders (EDs) are burgeoning, there is limited data about the clinical characteristics of individuals using specialized smartphone applications (apps) without accompanying traditional forms of treatment. This study evaluated whether the users of an ED app cluster in clinically meaningful groups. Participants were 1,280 app users (91.

A qualitative analysis of male eating disorder symptoms.

Insights into how males experience eating disorder symptoms early in the course of illness are important to improve detection efforts and may also provide valuable information for treatment. In this qualitative study, 10 adolescent males and 10 matched female patients completed standardized questionnaires and were interviewed. Results indicated that although there were many similarities between the genders, females were more likely to describe the involvement of family systems and males were more likely to describe involvement in sports as being catalysts for their disorders.

Using Technology to Improve Treatment Outcomes for Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders.

Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments are among the biggest challenges facing clinical psychiatry. Developing scalable evidence-based treatments is a major priority and fraught with challenges. This article describes the development of 3 technology-based innovations.

Cognitive remediation therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy with an older adult with anorexia nervosa: A brief case report.

Cognitive remediation therapy represents a new approach to the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) emerging from research, suggesting that adults with chronic AN have specific neurocognitive inefficiencies. Specifically, adults with AN demonstrate an overly detailed cognitive processing bias (Roberts, Tchanturia, & Treasure, 2013) and difficulties shifting set quickly and efficiently (Roberts, Tchanturia, Stahl, Southgate, & Treasure, 2007). These characteristics manifest as rigid, rule-bound, and detail-focused cognitions, beliefs, and behaviors.

Development of a smartphone application for eating disorder self-monitoring.

Objective: This case report aims to (1) describe the development and refinement of a smartphone application for eating disorder self-monitoring; (2) characterize its users in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics; and (3) explore its feasibility and utilization as a self-monitoring tool.

Method: We developed a mobile phone application through which people with eating disorders can self-monitor meals, emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. The application also included positive reinforcement, coping skill suggestions, social support, and feedback components.

Central coherence in adolescents with bulimia nervosa spectrum eating disorders.

Background: Weak central coherence-a tendency to process details at the expense of the gestalt-has been observed among adults with bulimia nervosa (BN) and is a potential candidate endophenotype for eating disorders (EDs). However, as BN behaviors typically onset during adolescence it is important to assess central coherence in this younger age group to determine whether the findings in adults are likely a result of BN or present earlier in the evolution of the disorder. This study examines whether the detail-oriented and fragmented cognitive inefficiency observed among adults with BN is observable among adolescents with shorter illness duration, relative to healthy controls.

Validation of a six-item male body image concerns scale (MBICS).

Elevated body image concerns may be a risk factor for eating disorders among males and contribute to a range of other mental health problems. This study tested a 6-item measure of general male body image concerns in two studies with adolescent males ages 14-18 (total N = 122). The measure showed strong convergent validity, scale score reliability, and test-retest reliability, and was significantly correlated with the number of episodes of binge eating in the past month.

What variables are associated with successful weight loss outcomes for bariatric surgery after 1 year?

Background: Prior evidence indicates that predictors of weight loss outcomes after gastric bypass surgery fall within 5 domains: 1) presurgical factors, 2) postsurgical psychosocial variables (e.g., support group attendance), 3) postsurgical eating patterns, 4) postsurgical physical activity, and 5) follow-up at postsurgical clinic.

Do in-vivo behaviors predict early response in family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa?

The aim of the study is to explore whether identified parental and patient behaviors observed in the first few sessions of family-based treatment (FBT) predict early response (weight gain of 1.8 kg by session four) to treatment. Therapy film recordings from 21 adolescent participants recruited into the FBT arm of a multi-site randomized clinical trial were coded for the presence of behaviors (length of observed behavior divided by length of session recording) in the first, second and fourth sessions.

The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among university men and women at different levels of athleticism.

The aim of the current study was to establish norms for the Eating Disorder (ED) Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among competitive athletes and to explore the contribution of level of athletic involvement and gender to ED psychopathology, as measured by the EDE-Q. University students (n = 1637) from ten United States universities were recruited online via a social networking website and asked to complete an anonymous survey. The sample was then divided according to gender and level of sports participation.

Factor structure of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in male and female college athletes.

The study explored the psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among 1637 university students. Participants were divided into male (n=432) and female (n=544) competitive athletes, and male (n=229) and female (n=429) comparison groups comprised of individuals who had not engaged in competitive sports for at least one year. All groups were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the fit of the published factor structure in this population, and then exploratory FA (EFA).

A review of attention biases in women with eating disorders.

There is robust evidence that women with eating disorders (EDs) display an attention bias (AB) for disorder-salient stimuli. Emerging data suggest that the presence of these biases may be due, in part, to neurological deficits, such as poor set shifting and weak central coherence. While some have argued that these biases function to predispose and/or act to maintain disordered eating behaviours, evidence supporting this view has rarely been examined.

Set-shifting among adolescents with bulimic spectrum eating disorders.

Objective: Set-shifting difficulties are observed among adults with bulimia nervosa (BN). This study aimed to assess whether adolescents with BN and BN spectrum eating disorders exhibit set-shifting problems relative to healthy controls.

Methods: Neurocognitive data from 23 adolescents with BN were compared with those from 31 adolescents with BN-type eating disorder not otherwise specified and 22 healthy controls on various measures of set-shifting (Trail Making Task [shift task], Color-Word Interference, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Brixton Spatial Anticipation Task).

Are we asking the right questions? A review of assessment of males with eating disorders.

Most of the commonly used eating disorders (ED) assessments were normed and developed for females, and their status among male populations is rarely addressed in the literature. Recently, some male-specific instruments have been developed that may have some utility with this population. This article aims to: (a) briefly outline some special considerations and challenges when assessing ED in male populations; (b) review the utility of some of the most commonly used ED assessments with males; and (c) review some of the measures that have recently been developed to assess male-specific ED-related symptoms, with the hope that a greater understanding of male-specific presentation may be elucidated.

The Eating Disorders Examination in adolescent males with anorexia nervosa: how does it compare to adolescent females?

Objective: The study aimed to explore the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) for adolescent males with eating disorders (EDs) compared with adolescent females with EDs.

Method: Data were collected from 48 males and matched on percent median body weight (MBW) and age to 48 females at two sites.

Results: Adolescent males with anorexia nervosa-type presentation scored significantly lower than matched females on Shape Concern, Weight Concern, and Global score.

All better? How former anorexia nervosa patients define recovery and engaged in treatment.

The purpose of this study was to explore how individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) engage in treatment and define recovery. A mixed methods design was used to triangulate the experience of 20 women with a history of AN. Interview data were analysed thematically to explore frequency of emergent themes and current eating disorder psychopathology was assessed using standardized self-report measures.

Use of mirtazapine in an adult with refractory anorexia nervosa and comorbid depression: a case report.

The objective of this report was to describe an efficacious treatment of an adult with long-standing anorexia nervosa (AN). A 50-year-old woman with an over 7-year history of AN and comorbid major depression had been treated unsuccessfully with numerous psychotropic medications, manualized cognitive behavior therapy, and an intensive outpatient treatment program before referral. After treatment with mirtazapine, she gained weight and her depression improved.

A clinical profile of participants in an online support group.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of users of an online support group for people with eating disorders (EDs).

Method: One hundred and thirty-eight support group participants were recruited online and completed measures that were specifically adapted for internet administration. These included two subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2); the 26-item version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE).