Effects of the Treatment Modality and Therapeutic Environment in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
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Authors
Flynn, Mellany K.
Issue Date
1998
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
How we think about things has an important role in determining how we feel. Adding
environmental factors to the picture often complicates matters, too. For people who
suffer from psychological and emotional disturbances, these issues frequently become
intertwined to a degree such that it becomes difficult to determine when and why their
problems originated. One psychological disorder that illustrates this is anorexia nervosa,
one of two of the most serious and well-known eating disorders. Although much
research has been conducted on the etiologies and treatments of anorexia nervosa and
other eating disorders, much remains to be learned. Presently, cognitive-behavior therapy
is one of the most popular therapies used to treat eating disorders. In observing this
method of treatment for eating disordered patients, however, some questions have arisen
about the effectiveness of this treatment for one of those disorders, anorexia nervosa.
Furthermore, because the therapy I witnessed was conducted in an outpatient setting, I
found myself wondering just what role the environment plays in the treatment of such an
illness. In reflecting on my own observations and in reviewing the literature on this
subject, I wondered: was it the type of treatment that made a difference in the effective
treatment of anorexia nervosa, the environment treatment was conducted in, or perhaps
both? I concluded that anorexia nervosa seems to be caused and/or maintained in large
part by environmental factors. Additionally, its effective treatment might necessitate the
use of a therapy that focuses on modifying behaviors rather than on modifying underlying
distortions in cognition. Finally, it appears that the type of treatment setting significantly
contributes to the outcome of therapy.
Description
iii, 45 p.
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License
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