BackgroundThis study investigated patient experience in a Family Admissions Program (FAP) – a pilot treatment program for adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa at the Children’s Hospital, Westmead. Based on Maudsley Family Based Treatment (FBT), the FAP involves an adolescent and his/her family undergoing a two-week family-based hospital admission at the outset of treatment. The program aims to increase intensity and support to a level needed by some families struggling to engage with or access FBT.MethodNarrative Inquiry and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis were used as a dual methodological approach to explore the prospective expectations and retrospective experiences of participants partaking in the program.ResultsResults indicated that in cases where the family unit has been particularly fractured as a result of the eating disorder, the FAP offers an opportunity for relational strengthening and reunification. Combined with the program’s intensive support and proximity to hospital services, this serves to provide struggling families with enhanced skills and a stronger foundation for outpatient FBT.ConclusionsFor families deemed at risk of unsuccessful outcomes with FBT, the FAP can be considered as an appropriate treatment adjunct to place alongside or before the commencement of FBT.
Objective
The current case report details the treatment of a 16‐year‐old adolescent with anorexia nervosa utilizing a novel adjunct, acceptance‐based interoceptive exposure, prior to family‐based treatment (FBT) for eating disorders.
Method
The exposure‐based module focused particularly on the tolerance of disgust. For six sessions, the clinician taught the client skills that could be used to tolerate distress to visceral sensations associated with disgust. These skills were to be used during in‐ and between‐session exposures. Each session included exposure to physical sensations that occurred while drinking a milkshake.
Results
Across six sessions, the client reported improvement in symptoms in addition to gaining weight. Additionally, she consumed more calories of a test meal following the intervention. Within broader FBT, the client reached an established weight goal, was able to return to physical activity, and reported an increased ability to manage distress.
Discussion
Given the client's improvement on the Eating Disorders Examination‐Questionnaire (EDE‐Q) within six sessions, we believe IE may be a useful adjunct to FBT. Interoceptive exposure may augment the efficacy of FBT for anorexia nervosa as it provides clients with skills to utilize during the refeeding phase of treatment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.