New Anorexia Study Needs Families

Participants are needed for an on-going multi-center outpatient study of a family-based behavioral treatment intervention for anorexia: the Maudsley approach. The study is being conducted at New York-Presbyterian/Westchester, Stanford University, Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore, the University of California at San Diego, the University of Toronto, and the Washington University in St. Louis.

The treatment is a family-supported behavioral intervention, in which parents and siblings serve as support while also monitoring and controlling the dietary intake of the child/adolescent. This intervention is not necessarily new, but it apparently had never been compared directly against the more traditional ‘family systems therapy’. Although the following comparison is simplistic, in general the Maudsley approach focuses on weight gain by increasing family monitoring and calorie consumption. In contrast, the family systems model is more focused on the underlying family dynamics that may be affecting the child’s behavior.

For more information, eligible participants can e-mail the study coordinator, Samantha Berthod, at [email protected].