Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions in terms of chronicity and have the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders. The assessment and treatment of eating disorders are also challenging, due to patients' denial of their illness and reluctance for change. Despite a large number of previous assessment and treatment studies, new strategies to overcome these difficulties are still needed. This study casts light on four aspects; involvement of the brain's reward system, stages of change in relationship with motivation, refeeding syndrome during renourishment, and gut microbiota changes relating to chronicity. Further studies relating to these aspects are encouraged.
Keywords: anorexia nervosa; bulimia nervosa; gut microbiota; refeeding syndrome; reward system; stage of change.