An overview of the treatment of eating disorders in adults and adolescents: pharmacology and psychotherapy

Abstract

Purpose: This article provides an overview of current treatment options for adults and adolescents suffering from eating disorders (ED).

Views: ED are prevalent public health problems that considerably impair physical health and disrupt psychosocial functioning. In primary care settings, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder represent the most frequently seen types of eating disorders, in both adults and adolescents. To address these maladaptive eating-related behaviors and concurrent psychiatric symptoms, various pharmacological interventions and specialized psychological treatments have been evaluated and received support to varying degrees by controlled research.

Conclusions: The current literature regarding children and adolescents with eating disorders mainly supports the use of psychological interventions, such as family-based treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy. Due to the lack of robust evidence, the use of psychotropic medications is neither recommended nor approved in this population. For adults with eating disorders, an array of behaviorally focused psychotherapies, along with integrative and interpersonal approaches, can lead to the improvement of symptoms and the achievement of a healthy weight. Moreover, aside from psychotherapy, several pharmacological agents can contribute to the alleviation of eating disorders' clinical characteristics in the adult population. At the moment, the recommended psychotropic medication for eating disorders is represented by fluoxetine for bulimia nervosa and lisdexamfetamine for binge eating disorder.

Keywords: anorexia nervosa; binge eating disorder; bulimia nervosa; medication; psychotherapy.