The multimodal treatment of eating disorders

The treatment of eating disorders is based on a multimodal model, recognizing that these disorders do not have a single cause or a predictable course. The treatment strategy is determined by the severity of illness and the specific eating disorder diagnosis. For the treatment of anorexia nervosa, the key elements are medical management, behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy and family therapy, while pharmacotherapy is at best an adjunct to other therapies. In bulimia nervosa, the treatment of choice is cognitive-behavioral therapy, but a greater improvement in mood and anxiety occurs when antidepressant therapy is added. In binge eating disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy produce substantial and long-lasting changes and pharmacological treatment has often a useful role.