THE BENEFITS OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IN EATING DISORDERS: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Cognitive behavioral therapy in eating disorders

Abstract

Nutritional therapy applied to eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa, focuses on nutritional counseling. For greater treatment effectiveness, multidisciplinary support is essential, as these disorders can be triggered by psychosocial aspects. Treatment may include psychological support with the application of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The objective was to evaluate the use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in eating disorders, specifically bulimia and anorexia nervosa. To this end, an integrative literature review was carried out by consulting the PubMed database. Eligible studies were included according to the following criteria: randomized clinical trial; studies published from 2022 to November 2023. After the screening process of the total number of articles found, five studies that aligned with the objectives of this review were included for the synthesis. The selected studies mostly evaluated young people and females. Studies have shown its effectiveness in changing symptoms and behaviors of individuals undergoing CBT. The therapies applied by the researchers were mainly based on techniques for reducing anxiety, self-management of behavior and modification of maladaptive cognitions. Therefore, the application of CBT has a positive effect in cases of eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa. CBT has valuable relevance in the treatment of eating disorders. The studies showed important insights into knowledge in this area of research, in addition to contributing to the advancement of clinical practice in the treatment of eating disorders in the nutritional context.