A Novel In-Home Relapse Prevention Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a difficult-to-treat mental illness associated with dangerous behavioral symptomatology. Interventions that augment the outcomes of existing inpatient and outpatient protocols for AN are critically needed. In-home treatments that address environmental change as a means to further promote behavior change have been applied for the care of multiple behaviorally based psychiatric illnesses, but not for eating disorders. The present study outlines the pilot application of a posthospitalization, four-session in-home relapse prevention treatment for a woman with a long history of AN. Over a 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up period, the patient exhibited substantial improvements in eating disorder symptomatology, sustained a healthy body mass index, and maintained positive environmental changes made by the end of treatment. The treatment was feasible and readily accepted by the patient. These positive findings suggest that more formalized research to further evaluate this novel adjunctive treatment for AN is warranted.