eating disorders

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Body Image-Acceptance and Action Questionnaire in a severe eating disorder population, as previous validation has occurred only with nonclinical samples.

Method

While existing treatments produce remission in a relatively large percentage of individuals with binge eating disorder (BED), room for improvement remains. Interventions designed to increase emotion regulation skills and clarify one's chosen values may be well-suited to address factors known to maintain BED.

This article considers how social-cultural pressures place many gay men at heightened risk for body image dissatisfaction and consequent engagement in addictive behaviors that include excessive exercise, bingeing, and purging. Working from a minority stress and self-objectification theoretical lens, the pressures that many gay men face from mainstream society as well as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are explored.

OBJECTIVE Individuals with type 1 diabetes who restrict insulin to control weight are at high risk for diabetes-related complications and premature death. However, little is known about this behavior or how to effectively intervene. The aim of the current study was to identify predictors of insulin restriction in the natural environment that might inform new treatment directions.

Objective: Withholding insulin for weight control is a dangerous practice among individuals with type 1 diabetes; yet little is known about the factors associated with this behavior. Studies of nondiabetic individuals with weight concerns suggest that eating in a disinhibited manner (e.g., binge eating) predicts the use of maladaptive compensatory strategies (e.g., self-induced vomiting).

At some point in clinical practice, most therapists will encounter a client suffering with an eating disorder, but many are uncertain of how to treat these issues. Because eating disorders are rooted in secrecy and reinforced by our culture's dangerous obsession with thinness, sufferers are likely to experience significant health complications before they receive the help they need.

The current study investigated whether mindfulness and psychological flexibility, independently

and together, explain intuitive eating. The participants were overweight or obese persons (N = 306)

reporting symptoms of perceived stress and enrolled in a psychological lifestyle intervention study.

Participants completed self-report measures of psychological flexibility, mindfulness including the

Body image dissatisfaction is highly predictive of disordered eating cognitions and behavior, however many more individuals experience body dissatisfaction than disordered eating. While several variables appear to influence the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, one potential under-studied construct is experiential avoidance (EA) of body image.

Eating disorders are among the most challenging disorders to treat, with even state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral treatments achieving only modest success rates. One possible reason for the high rate of treatment failures for eating disorders is that existing treatments fail to attend sufficiently to critical aspects of the disorder such as experiential avoidance, poor experiential awareness, and lack of motivation.

This study was a small randomized clinical trial collecting pilot data to assess the effectiveness of a one day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop targeting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes. The treatment was compared to a wait-list control condition. The participants were seventy-three women from a local university and a medium sized city in the Western United States.