Widening the Reach: The Broad Impact of Unguided Self-Help for Eating Disorders

A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Linardon and colleagues on 27 controlled trials using pure self-help for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, reported small benefits for co-occurring difficulties such as anxiety, depression, distress and self-esteem. The findings were strongest for pre-selected samples considered at risk or who were symptomatic, and are consistent with literature from other areas indicating that focused interventions have a positive impact on comorbid difficulties. The meta-analysis raises questions about the optimal approach to address comorbidity both within and beyond pure self-help. Understanding the wider impact of disorder-specific approaches compared to transdiagnostic approaches is critical to helping clinicians determine what interventions to use and when. It is notable that CBT interventions across disorders often share treatment techniques and methods to optimize the generalization of learning across difficulties, but such common elements are rarely made explicit. The value of session-by-session measurement as an essential tool to guide clinical decision-making in the context of comorbid difficulties is emphasized. Whilst further work is needed, particularly in clinical samples, the message from Linardon et al.'s meta-analysis is straightforward-pure self-help for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders can have a broad impact in improving mental health.