Heffner, M., Sperry, J., & Eifert, G. H. (2002). Acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of an adolescent female with anorexia nervosa: A case example. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9(3), 232-236.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment that targets ineffective control strategies and experiential avoidance--the unwillingness to accept negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Although ACT has been suggested as an effective treatment for panic, substance use, pain, and mood disorders, there are no published reports on the use of ACT for treating adolescent disorders such as anorexia nervosa. This case summarizes the successful adoption of ACT techniques in the treatment of a 15-yr-old female with anorexia nervosa. It also shows how ACT techniques can be successfully combined with, and set the stage for, more standard cognitive-behavioral intervention.
* Wilson, K. G. & Roberts, M. (2002). Core principles in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An application to anorexia. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 237-243.
* Hayes, S. C. & Pankey, J. (2002). Experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, and an ACT approach to anorexia nervosa. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 243-247.
* Orsillo, S. M. & Batten, S. J. (2002). ACT as treatment of a disorder of excessive control: Anorexia. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 253-259.
* There is also a cognitive paper that is nominally a response to the case, but it mentions ACT only in passing, focusing instead on the traditional CBT model.