Emotional dysregulation in anorexia nervosa: evidence mapping review psychological treatments

Introduction: Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, are complex psychiatric disorders characterized by compensatory and restrictive behavior and preoccupation with one's body. They occur in early and late adolescence, especially among girls. Eating and purging behaviors are considered dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies. Therefore, psychological treatment is essential. The most common psychological interventions are: dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), family therapy (FBT), multi-family group therapy (MFTG) and mentalization-based treatment (MBT). The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on the impact of psychological treatments on emotional regulation difficulties and psychological symptoms in patients with eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa. Method: A search was conducted on PubMed and Web of Science using the terms “anorexia nervosa” and “emotion dysregulation”. Of the 278 initial articles, we included 15 publications. Results: The results indicate that the acquisition of new coping strategies, through DBT, leads to an improvement in anxiety and alexithymia. DBT, CBT and MBT lead to a reduction in the use of dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies too. Conclusion: Eating disorders involve both physical and mental health; therefore, it’s desirable for future research to focus on the mutual synergy between the mental and physical component by evaluating various factors such as biomarkers and the most appropriate therapeutic approach with respect to the treatment setting.