Cognitive Remediation Therapy for Children with Anorexia Nervosa

Evidence-based treatment programs for children with anorexia nervosa (AN) are scarce, while their prognosis is negative and the incidence rate rises. A new therapeutic approach recently received positive attention: cognitive remediation therapy (CRT). This intervention targets inflexibility and the inability to perceive the bigger picture in persons with AN. So far, studies and case reports have focused on either adolescent or adult patients and less on young children with AN. This case report therefore describes and evaluates the implementation of CRT with a child with AN.

A 12-year-old girl with severe chronic AN was treated with 10 sessions of CRT. Her clinical and neuropsychological evaluations before, directly after and 7 months after CRT are reported. Additionally, the patient's written and verbal feedbacks are reviewed.

At the 7-month follow-up the patient showed a stable healthy weight and reported a reduced presence of psychopathology. Her neuropsychological performance directly after CRT and after 7 months did not improve.

The clinical evaluation of our case report suggests that CRT may be a promising add-on therapy in the clinical treatment of young girls with AN.