Overview of Intensive CBT-E for Adolescents with Eating Disorders
摘要
The chapter presents an overview of intensive enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E) for adolescents with eating disorders, developed as a response to the limitations of traditional eclectic multidisciplinary approaches. Grounded in a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural framework, intensive CBT-E targets the psychological mechanisms maintaining the disorder and promotes lasting change through a structured and theory-driven intervention. Key adaptations for adolescents include parental involvement, strategies to enhance patient engagement, and vigilant medical monitoring due to developmental vulnerabilities. The treatment is delivered by a unified, non-eclectic multidisciplinary team trained in CBT-E, ensuring consistency across settings and therapeutic roles. The chapter outlines indications for intensive care, therapeutic goals, and core strategies, emphasizing active patient participation, collaborative personalized formulation, and relapse prevention. It details four levels of delivery: intensive outpatient, day-hospital, rehabilitative inpatient, and post-intensive outpatient. Additionally, it introduces the multistep CBT-E model, which allows for flexible escalation of care while maintaining conceptual coherence. Empirical evidence from multiple cohort and comparative studies supports the effectiveness, acceptability, and robustness of intensive CBT-E in adolescents, including during challenging periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach has demonstrated effectiveness across diverse populations, illness severities, and care settings, establishing it as a viable and scalable treatment option for adolescents with eating disorders who do not respond to outpatient treatment.