Evaluation of an intensive outpatient treatment on patients with eating disorders

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of an intensive outpatient treatment program combined with partial hospitalization for eating disorders (ED). The program consisted of three 28-week phases in a clinical setting. Methods: the total sample was 502 patients, which included 438 women and 64 men, with an age range of 13 to 73 years (M = 22.08, SD = 11.29), with four ED diagnosis: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and EDNOS. The initial weight had an average of 54.89 kg with an average BMI of 21.01. Weight, eating disorder symptoms and cognitions, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms, were assessed; at the beginning, at the end and 6 and 12 months later. Results: significant differences were found at the beginning of treatment in all scales except the SCL-90 total score (F (3,498)=.94 p =.41). The comparison of demographic variables also showed significant differences between the ED diagnostic groups. All patients showed significant changes from the time of initial evaluation to the end of treatment. Results indicate small to moderate effect sizes on the EAT, HADS, and SCL-90 scales, except for the EDI, where a high effect size was found. Conclusions: our findings add to existing studies on outpatient treatment. and support the encouraging effects previously found on this type of programs that combine outpatient and inpatient treatment for eating psychopathologies.