Abstract
BackgroundRadically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target maladaptive overcontrol, a proposed core difficulty of restrictive eating disorders. RO-DBT is now the main group treatment model at the Intensive day Treatment Programme (ITP), Maudsley Hospital. This ITP case series aimed to investigate whether overcontrol is associated with restrictive eating disorder symptoms in adolescents and to evaluate ITP outcomes since RO-DBT skills classes were introduced.MethodSelf-report measures of eating disorder symptoms and temperament, personality and social characteristics linked to overcontrol were collected at assessment and discharge from ITP for all consecutive adolescents who attended between February 2015 and January 2019 (N = 131). Weight change, global outcomes and treatment needs post-ITP were also recorded.ResultsEating disorder symptoms at assessment were significantly correlated with overcontrol factors, including social connectedness (r = −.67), reward responsivity (r = −.54), and cognitive inflexibility (r = .52). Adolescents stayed in ITP on average 13.40 weeks. 70.8% had a Good-Intermediate outcome on Morgan-Russell scale. 4.6% did not respond and were referred to inpatient treatment from ITP. Significant improvements in drive for thinness (d = .33), depressive mood (d = .41), social connectedness (d = .48), and emotional expressiveness (d = .97) were reported at discharge. No changes were observed in perfectionism or negative temperament.ConclusionsThis study offers preliminary evidence that eating disorder symptoms are associated with overcontrol factors in adolescence and that they can improve with RO-DBT informed day programme treatment. RO-DBT is a promising treatment that offers a new way of conceptualising treatment targets and recovery for adolescent restrictive eating disorders.
Highlights
Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target maladaptive overcontrol, a proposed core difficulty of restrictive eating disorders
This study offers preliminary evidence that eating disorder symptoms are associated with overcontrol factors in adolescence and that they can improve with Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) informed day programme treatment
RO-DBT is a promising treatment that offers a new way of conceptualising treatment targets and recovery for adolescent restrictive eating disorders
Summary
Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target maladaptive overcontrol, a proposed core difficulty of restrictive eating disorders. RO-DBT is the main group treatment model at the Intensive day Treatment Programme (ITP), Maudsley Hospital. This ITP case series aimed to investigate whether overcontrol is associated with restrictive eating disorder symptoms in adolescents and to evaluate ITP outcomes since RO-DBT skills classes were introduced. It is well established that there is a significant proportion for whom family therapy is not enough [1, 2] This group of young people were offered inpatient treatment, which can be lengthy and costly, with poor or mixed outcomes [3, 4]. Results demonstrate that day programme attendance leads to significant improvements in physical and psychological health [8,9,10, 12, 13, 15,16,17,18,19], which are maintained at follow up [7, 8]
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