Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E) as an Intervention for BIPOC Adolescent Girls with Eating Disorders

Abstract

Eating disorders (ED) have some of the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition due to medical complications and high rates of suicidality. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) adolescent girls and women are at especially high risk for developing EDs, which can have numerous negative mental and physical health consequences. Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT-E) is a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral treatment for EDs that, although originally designed to work with adults, has been shown to be effective with adolescents. Despite CBT-E’s proven efficacy across age populations, there is limited research on its effectiveness with BIPOC individuals. We argue that with culturally informed, competent, and sensitive clinicians, CBT-E can be used to treat underdiagnosed and undertreated BIPOC adolescent girls, whose EDs have been unjustly overlooked.