Due to its ego-syntonic nature, anorexia nervosa (AN) is considered one of the most difficult mental disorders to treat. Patients are often reluctant to accept treatment, while a large group of those who receive therapy have a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, despite suffering from physical and psychosocial impairment, patients with AN are often reluctant to receive any intervention whatsoever. Recent years have seen the development of many new treatment methods for eating disorders in general, and AN in particular. Therapy of anorexia nervosa requires a multidisciplinary approach based on the "cornerstone" of psychotherapy. Despite the growing body of studies and publications concerning psychological treatment of AN, there is still a dearth of high-quality randomized controlled trials which could serve as the basis for developing guidelines in this area.This paper offers a compendium of knowledge on treatment standards recommended for AN, as well as on psychotherapeutic paradigms and programs. Most of the therapies presented herein have been empirically proven effective. Therefore, the paper may facilitate the selection of the most appropriate treatment choices, whether in outpatient or inpatient settings.
Keywords: anorexia nervosa; psychotherapy; randomized controlled trial.