Abstract
ObjectivePsychological treatments for eating disorders (ED) rely on mastery of effortful attentional control to divert attention from anxiety provoking thoughts. This paper assesses the potential suitability of attentional bias modification treatment (ABMT) for EDs as a way to target early automatic attentional processes and implicitly retune threat perception that happens outside of conscious control.
MethodWe review data on anxiety in EDs, the neurobiological and behavioural relationship between anxiety disorders and EDs, attentional biases (AB) in EDs and the use of ABMT.
ResultsCo-morbidities between EDs and anxiety disorders are common and negatively affect illness outcome. EDs and anxiety disorders share many underlying elements, including AB towards threatening and disorder-relevant stimuli. AB has been modified across a range of anxiety disorders using ABMT. It is possible to modify AB in EDs.
ConclusionThere is evidence to suggest that ABMT has potential as a targeted, rapid and convenient treatment option for EDs. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | N/A |
| Pages (from-to) | 464-474 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | European Eating Disorders Review |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2013 |
Keywords
- eating disorder
- anorexia nervosa
- bulimia nervosa
- attentional bias
- anxiety
- SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER GENE
- GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER
- RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
- WEIGHT-RELATED INFORMATION
- ANOREXIA-NERVOSA
- BODY DISSATISFACTION
- SELECTIVE ATTENTION
- PROCESSING BIASES
- COMPARISON WOMEN
- BULIMIA-NERVOSA
- Acknowledged-BRC
- Acknowledged-BRC-13/14