Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb 1;26(1):19-33.
doi: 10.1891/0889-8391.26.1.19.

Treating Anorexia Nervosa in the Couple Context

Cynthia M Bulik  1 , Donald H Baucom, Jennifer S Kirby
Affiliations

Treating Anorexia Nervosa in the Couple Context

Cynthia M Bulik et al. J Cogn Psychother. .

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental illness that affects women and men of all ages. Despite the gravity of its chronic morbidity, risk of premature death, and societal burden, the evidence base for its treatment-especially in adults-is weak. Guided by the finding that family-based interventions confer benefit in the treatment of anorexia nervosa in adolescents, we developed a cognitive-behavioral couple-based intervention for adults with anorexia nervosa who are in committed relationships that engages both the patient and her/his partner in the treatment process. This article describes the theoretical rationale behind the development of Uniting Couples in the treatment of Anorexia nervosa (UCAN), practical considerations in delivering the intervention, and includes reflections from the developers on the challenges of working with couples in which one member suffers from anorexia nervosa. Finally, we discuss future applications of a couple-based approach to the treatment of adults with eating disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
The UCAN Model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders Third Edition. 2006 from http://www.psychiatryonline.com/pracGuide/loadGuidelinePdf.aspx?file=Eat....
    1. Arnow B, Taylor C, Agras W, Telch M. Enhancing agoraphobia treatment outcome by changing couple communication patterns. Behavior Therapy. 1985;16:452–467.
    1. Baucom D, Hahlweg K, Kuschel A. Are waiting-list control groups needed in future marital therapy outcome research? Behavior Therapy. 2003;34:179–188.
    1. Baucom DH. A comparison of behavioral contracting and problem-solving/communications training in behavioral marital therapy. Behavior Therapy. 1982;13:162–174.
    1. Baucom DH. Treatment of marital distress from a cognitive behavioral perspective; Paper presented at the annual conference of the North Carolina Psychological Association; Asheville, NC. 1986, October.