E-health interventions for eating disorders: Emerging findings, issues, and opportunities
Aardboom, Dingemans, & van Furth (2016)
Curr psychiatry rep

Abstract

Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy and guided self-help have demonstrated promising results in terms of reducing eating disorder psychopathology. E-health interventions reach an underserved population and improve access to care.

Introduction

E-health for eating disorders: emerging findings

Treatment and self-help interventions

Internet is a potentially useful mean to deliver interventions targeting individuals with an eating disorder who are ambivalent towards change.

Aftercare and maintenance treatment

Flexibility may be one of the key reasons for individuals to prefer E-health interventions over face-to-face interventions.

Predictors of outcome and dropout

Higher motivation to change, higher harm-avoidance, higher drive for thinness, lower binge eating, and lower body dissatisfaction at baseline predicts better outcomes.

Higher baseline levels of depression and eating disorder psychopathology were shown to predict dropout.

Smartphone applications in the treatment of eating disorders: emerging findings

The apps available for eating disorders are of limited functionality.

Development and implementation of E-health interventions

The development and implementation of E-health interventions is challenging. Most E-health interventions have been developed to use before, after, or as a supplement to existing treatments. It can be used to give stepped care.

Blended care in the combination of face-to-face and online therapy could provide good results.

Diagnostics in E-health interventions

In daily clinical practice, the standard for determining a psychiatric diagnosis is a face-to-face clinical interview.

A face-to-face interview may be at odds with the aims or clinical evaluation of anonymous E-health interventions or applications. In order to preserve the potential advantages that come with the Internet as delivery mode of the intervention, a valid and reliable online self-report questionnaire for diagnostic classification would be of great value.

Reaching an underserved population and improving access to care?

Reaching an underserved population is often a goal or presumed potential advantage of E-health interventions.