Ten years of treating eating disorders: what have we learned? A personal perspective on the application of 12-step and wellness programs.

Conventional therapy for eating disorders has focused on behavioral approaches, medical models, and combinations of both, with lesser emphasis on psychological and wellness models. Because eating disorders are often difficult to treat and the individuals who have them often exhibit significant comorbidities, the long-term success rate (3-5 years or more)-defined as recovery and abstinence from the disorder behaviors-is in the 40% to 50% range, at best. Moreover, if one examines randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that test the efficacy of the most commonly used behavioral approaches in a historical manner, as is described in this article, by assigning RCTs to 2 different time periods for the treatment of bulimia nervosa (BN), it is found that no progress has been made in the success rate of treating this disorder.

A mindfulness-based health wellness program for an adolescent with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome have hyperphagia, a characteristic eating disorder defined by a marked delay in the satiety response when compared to controls. This eating disorder has been particularly difficult to control. The authors taught and evaluated effectiveness of regular exercise alone, regular exercise plus healthy eating, and mindfulness-based strategies combined with exercise and healthy eating to an adolescent with this syndrome.

Mindful parenting decreases aggression and increases social behavior in children with developmental disabilities.

Research shows that after training in the philosophy and practice of mindfulness, parents can mindfully attend to the challenging behaviors of their children with autism. Parents also report an increased satisfaction with their parenting skills and social interactions with their children. These findings were replicated and extended with 4 parents of children who had developmental disabilities, exhibited aggressive behavior, and had limited social skills.

Mindful staff increase learning and reduce aggression in adults with developmental disabilities.

Aggression by individuals with developmental disabilities may threaten their community placement. In a multiple baseline design across group homes, we provided group home staff with behavioral training and later with mindfulness training to assess the impact on aggressive behaviors and the number of learning objectives mastered by individuals in their care. We also assessed other outcomes including activities engaged in by the individuals, use of restraint by staff, and measures of satisfaction.