PMID: 32141522Mar 7, 2020Paper

[Attachment, mentalization and autonomy in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa].

Tijdschrift voor psychiatrie
Greet S KuipersMarrie H J Bekker

Abstract

Attachment insecurity and difficulty with mentalization are common in patients with eating disorders and might be related to their symptoms and lack of autonomy.<br/> AIM: To investigate the role of attachment and mentalization in the course of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN).<br/> METHOD: Patients with AN and BN were assessed at the start of treatment, and after 1 year and 1.5 years concerning attachment security and mentalization in relation to eating disorder and co-morbid symptoms and autonomy. The results at the start of treatment were compared to those of controls without an eating disorder.<br/> RESULTS: Attachment insecurity and low level of mentalization were more prevalent in patients than in controls, and associated with borderline personality disorder and/or self-injurious behaviour. Attachment security increased after 1 year of treatment. Recovery from eating disorder after 1 year was related to higher level of mentalization and improvement of autonomy. Low pre-treatment level of mentalization predicted persistence of eating disorder until 1.5 years of follow-up.<br/> CONCLUSION: Good mentalization is associated with recovery from eating disorder. More research on the effect of mentalization based tr...Continue Reading

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