Metacognition in patients with anorexia nervosa, dieting and non‐dieting women: a preliminary study

Abstract

It is suggested that metacognitive activity may play a role in the maintenance of AN, particularly in reinforcing negative self-evaluations.

Metacognition in eating disorders: Comparison of women with eating disorders, self-reported history of eating disorders or psychiatric problems, and healthy controls

“…Example of a negative metacognition in eating disorders could be "Worrying about my body and weight could make me go mad". For more detailed descriptions of positive and negative metacognition in Anorexia Nervosa see Woolrich, Cooper, and Turner (2008). These negative and positive metacognitive beliefs are the driving force of the CAS.…”

“…A related study by Woolrich et al (2008) used a semi-structured interview to compare 15 patients with AN to 17 dieting women and 18 non-dieting controls. Patients with AN believed to a higher degree that their thoughts were abnormal and uncontrollable.…”

The Role of Signs or Symptoms

“…Of related interest is a study by Woolrich et al (2008) who found that the metacognitive control strategies used by persons with anorexia were more likely to make them feel worse; that is, it reinforced negative self-evaluations. Combining these observations with the Skårderud (2007) study suggests that the concrete body metaphors, when used as metacognitions, may contribute to negative self-evaluations.…”

“…Combining these observations with the Skårderud (2007) study suggests that the concrete body metaphors, when used as metacognitions, may contribute to negative self-evaluations. Woolrich et al (2008) also suggests that persons with anorexia who have poor metacognitive coping turn to more concrete behavioral strategies (e.g., not eating) to deal with their negative thoughts. The notion that the concrete metaphoric character of a symptom can govern metacognitive processes reinforces the view that there is a constant interplay between concrete and abstract processes, which, in the case of the anorexic, may actually be one of the factors which sustains this form of psychopathology.…”

Obsesividad e intrusiones alimentarias en pacientes con trastornos alimentarios y en lapoblación general

“…También hacen uso de otras estrategias, tales como intentar suprimir o mantener bajo control las intrusiones molestas. En defi nitiva, tanto las denominadas conductas compensatorias, como los intentos por suprimir las intrusiones, poseen una fi nalidad similar a las estrategias de neutralización manifi estas o encubiertas, ritualizadas o no, que ponen en marcha muchos pacientes con TOC: atenuar el malestar que generan las intrusiones (Sánchez-Reales, 2009;Serpell, Livingstone, Neiderman, y Lask, 2002;Soetens, Braet, Dejonckheere, y Roets, 2006;Woolrich, Cooper, y Turner, 2008). Hay un buen número de investigaciones que evidencian una relación importante entre el TOC y los TA.…”