Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are serious and often fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Learn more about eating disorders.
Featured Studies
Featured studies include only those currently recruiting participants. Studies with the most recent start date appear first.
Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative 2
Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
Start Date: October 28, 2024
Eligibility: 12 Years to 99 Years, t
Location(s): University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States; University of Otago, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
The overarching intention of the Eating Disorder Genetics Initiative 2 (EDGI2) is to increase sample size, diversity, and eating disorder phenotypes. The investigators are enrolling 20,000 new participants with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and controls in the US, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark. A primary study goal is to enroll at least 30% of participants from underrepresented groups. Participants are asked to complete a series of questionnaires and submit a saliva sample for genotyping. The goal is to better understand eating disorders and how they relate to each other so that better treatments can be developed.
Innovations in Personalizing Treatment Study
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: January 21, 2024
Eligibility: 18 Years to 65 Years, f
Location(s): Eating Anxiety Laboratory and Clinic, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illness: someone dies of an ED every 52 minutes. EDs are highly related to a host of negative outcomes, including public health and individual disease burden, medical and psychological comorbidities, and social determinants of health (SDOH). Treatment response for EDs are suboptimal; there are no evidence-based treatment for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN) or Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) and only 50% of adults respond to current evidence based treatments. There are no precision treatments, nor any treatments that consider social context, in existence. Personalized treatments for EDs, that consider social contexts, are urgently needed to improve treatment response and minimize the suffering associated with these illnesses. The investigators' overall goal, extending upon their past work, is to create a treatment personalized based on idiographic (or one person) models (termed Transdiagnostic Network Informed Personalized Treatment for EDs; T-NIPT-ED). The investigators will carry out a two-phase study to systematically characterize individual mechanisms of treatment (Phase I: N=900) and then test the efficacy of each treatment module (Phase II: N=240 drawn from Phase I) compared to the current gold-standard treatment (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Enhanced: CBT-E). The study goals are to (1) characterize the prevalence of T-NIPT-ED precision treatment mechanisms and medical and psychological comorbidities (e.g., obesity; depression), individual disease burden (e.g., disability), SDOH (e.g., food insecurity), and public health outcomes (e.g., service utilization) specific to these mechanisms, (2) identify if personalized target mechanisms improve when matched to evidence-based treatment modules of T-NIPT-ED and (3) test if change in T-NIPT-ED is associated with improved outcomes (vs CBT-E), including ED outcomes, comorbidities, disease burden, and public health outcomes and if these outcomes are moderated by SDOH. These goals will ultimately lead to the very first precision treatment for ED and can be extended to additional psychiatric illnesses. The proposed research uses highly innovative methods; intensive longitudinal data collected with mobile technology is combined with state-of-the art idiographic modeling methods to deliver a virtual, personalized treatment. This proposal integrates assessment of broad (e.g., SDOH; public health burden) and specific (e.g., ED symptoms) outcomes, to ensure that social context can be integrated into personalization. The proposed research has high clinical impact. Ultimately, this proposal will lead directly to the creation and dissemination of an evidence-based individually-personalized treatment for EDs, as well as will serve as an exemplar for precision treatment development across the entire field of psychiatry.
Changes in Inhibition and Valuation After Eating
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: December 12, 2023
Eligibility: FEMALEs, 18 Years to 45 Years, t
Location(s): Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
An impaired ability to exert control has been implicated in bulimia nervosa (BN), but this impairment may not represent a stable trait or be the most effective focus for treatment. This project aims to understand how predictions and value-based decisions about control may be abnormally influenced by eating in individuals with BN, thereby maintaining cycles of binge eating, purging, and restriction.
Neuroscience-informed Treatment to Remotely Target Reward Mechanisms in Post-acute Anorexia Nervosa
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: December 6, 2023
Eligibility: 18 Years to , f
Location(s): Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States
The investigators will recruit individuals with broadly-defined AN (n = 80) who are currently in or have recently participated in higher-level eating disorder treatment (e.g., residential, partial hospitalization/day treatment, intensive outpatient treatment). Interested participants will sign consent, complete eligibility assessments, and will be randomized to receive Positive Affect Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (PAT-AN) or Psychoeducation and Behavioral Therapy (PBT) through teletherapy shortly following discharge from higher level of care. Participants can participate in most other forms of outpatient treatment while receiving the research intervention. Participants will engage in 24 weeks of PAT-AN or PBT starting in the first 3 months post-discharge. At each session, the investigators will complete brief measures assessing treatment acceptability, affect, and eating disorder symptoms. Participants will also complete an assessment battery of self-report, EMA, and neurocognitive measures evaluating primary outcomes (BMI; eating disorder symptoms), secondary outcomes (depression, anxiety, and suicidality), and presumed treatment mechanisms at baseline, end of treatment (EOT), and 3-month follow-up (FU). All assessments will be remotely delivered via HIPAA-compliant platforms.
Response to Acute Exercise in Eating Disorders
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: November 2, 2023
Eligibility: FEMALEs, 16 Years to 25 Years, t
Location(s): University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Individuals with eating disorders (ED) represent a high-priority clinical population, with among the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder, and driven exercise (DEx) is a symptom evidenced in up to 80% of those with EDs that increases impairment and negatively impacts treatment outcome. This study will develop tasks to characterize cognitive, affective, and biological response to exercise among adolescent and young adult females with EDs and determine whether acute exercise response associates with free-living activity and DEx. This R21 project will provide foundational data to guide research and development of treatments that are more precisely targeted to the symptom of driven exercise and to ultimately improve clinical outcomes associated with EDs.
A Precision Medicine Approach to Target Engagement for Emotion Regulation
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: September 29, 2023
Eligibility: 18 Years to , f
Location(s): University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
The proposed study is designed to first test whether teaching people personalized or standardized emotion regulation skills leads to greater decreases in daily negative emotion intensity. Second, using data from an initial sample, the investigators will prospectively assign an independent sample of participants to receive their predicted optimal or non-optimal skills to determine if it is feasible and efficacious to match participants to the most appropriate training condition. Results of these studies may identify the mechanisms by which emotion regulation interventions impact emotional functioning and allow for the development of personalized, evidence-based, and scalable emotion regulation interventions.
Confirming the Effectiveness of Online Guided Self-Help Family-Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: March 17, 2023
Eligibility: 12 Years to 18 Years, f
Location(s): Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
With an incidence rate of about 1%, Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious mental disorder associated with high mortality, morbidity, and cost. AN in youth is more responsive to early treatment but becomes highly resistant once it has taken an enduring course. The first-line treatment for adolescents with AN is Family Based Treatment (FBT). While FBT can be delivered using videoconferencing (FBT-V), therapists' limited availability hampers scalability. Guided self-help (GSH) versions of efficacious treatments have been used to scale and increase access to care. The main aim of this proposed comparative effectiveness study is to confirm that clinical improvements in GSH-FBT are achieved with greater efficiency than FBT-V in generalizable clinical settings.
Interoceptive Exposure for Adolescents With Low Weight Eating Disorders
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: March 14, 2023
Eligibility: 12 Years to 18 Years, f
Location(s): Department of Psychiatry, Eating and Weight Disorders Program, New York, New York, United States
This project includes a parallel group randomized controlled trial comparing two psychological treatments: 1) Exposure-based Family Therapy (IE) vs. 2) Family Based Therapy (FBT) for low weight eating disorders with 12 month follow-up. Primary outcomes are expected body weight and clinical impairment. Three mechanisms of change (Autonomous Eating, Non-Judgmental Body Awareness, and Extinction Learning) will be examined in a process mediation models of change.
Optimizing Digital Health Technology Interventions to Increase Skill Acquisition and Utilization
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: January 6, 2023
Eligibility: 18 Years to 70 Years, f
Location(s): Drexel University, Stratton Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
The purpose of this study is to identify the independent and combined effects of two types of self-monitoring and two types of micro-interventions when combined with standard cognitive behavioral treatment for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED). The primary aims of this study are (1) to evaluate the optimal complexity of Self-Monitoring and Micro-Interventions on eating pathology (at post-treatment and at 6 and 12-month follow-ups and (2) to test the hypotheses that the optimal complexity level of each component is moderated by baseline deficits in self-regulation. The secondary aim will be to test target engagement for each level of complexity for each component, i.e., to test whether higher complexity of each technological components is associated with better rates of therapeutic skill use and acquisition and that improvements in skill use and acquisition are associated with improvements in outcomes. A final exploratory aim will be to quantify the component interaction effects, which may be partially additive (because components overlap and/or there is diminishing return), fully additive, or synergistic (in that component complexities may partially depend on each other).
Facing Eating Disorder Fears for Anorexia Nervosa
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: December 8, 2022
Eligibility: 18 Years to 65 Years, f
Location(s): Eating Anxiety Laboratory and Clinic, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
FED-F is a modular treatment that enhances exposure therapy with psychoeducation and cognitive skills teaching how to face fears of (a) food, (b) weight gain, (c) interoception/body, and (d) social situations. The study goals are to (1) refine and test the acceptability and feasibility of FED-F treatment (Phase I), (2) test if this treatment outperforms treatment as usual (TAU) delivered post-acute treatment as adjunctive to stepdown specialty care (Phase II), and (3) to examine if treatment targets the hypothesized mechanism of action: approach behaviors (Phase II). These goals will lead to a highly deployable and accessible virtual treatment targeted at core AN mechanisms that predict relapse. Specific aims are to (1) refine FED-F into a fully virtual format with input from patients and stakeholders and collect preliminary data (N=10) on its feasibility and acceptability (Phase I), (2) conduct a small pilot RCT (randomized controlled trial) of FED-F (n=30) as compared to TAU (n=30; Phase II), and (3) examine if FED-F targets approach/avoidance behaviors and test if this mechanism is associated with clinical outcomes (Phase II).
Naltrexone Neuroimaging in Teens with Eating Disorders
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: September 17, 2022
Eligibility: 13 Years to 21 Years, f
Location(s): Children's Mercy Research Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Using a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study, this study will evaluate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a pharmacodynamic biomarker of opioid antagonism in adolescents with eating disorders. The hypothesis is that fMRI will be able to detect acute reward pathway modulation by naltrexone (an opioid antagonist) in pre-defined regions of interest (anterior cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex).
Project HOME: Home-Based Treatment Options and Mechanisms for Eating Disorders
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: August 1, 2022
Eligibility: 12 Years to 18 Years, t
Location(s): Gateway Healthcare, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; The Providence Center, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
This randomized, controlled effectiveness trial will assess outcomes, implementation, and mechanisms of two psychological treatments for adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) delivered in the home setting, in the context of community-based mental health. Adolescents with AN-spectrum disorders (n=50) and their caregivers will be randomly assigned to either family-based treatment or integrated family therapy delivered in the home. Caregivers and adolescents will provide data on weight, eating, and putative treatment mechanisms, including caregiver self-efficacy, adolescent distress, and generalizability of treatment skills. Treatment feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness will be measured among providers and participating families. The proposed study has clear potential to advance scientific and clinical understanding of the real-world effectiveness of psychological treatments for AN, including whether adapting them for the home setting may improve accessibility and effects on treatment outcome
The Role of the Circadian System in Binge Eating Disorder
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: January 15, 2021
Eligibility: 18 Years to 50 Years, t
Location(s): Lindner Center of HOPE / University of Cincinnati, Mason, Ohio, United States
Binge eating disorder (BED) shows prominent circadian features that suggest a delay in circadian phase, and preliminary evidence shows binge eating may be responsive to chronobiological interventions, implicating a circadian system dysfunction in its pathophysiology. What remains lacking, however, is comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of circadian system dysfunction in BED, and whether this dysfunction represents a therapeutic target in BED. There is therefore a critical need to characterize circadian system dysfunction in BED, and evaluate it as a potential therapeutic target. Without such information, the understanding on the role of the circadian system in BED and its potential as a new therapeutic target will remain limited.
Self-Control in Bulimia Nervosa
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Start Date: September 18, 2020
Eligibility: FEMALEs, 18 Years to 35 Years, t
Location(s): Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
This study examines the influence of acute fasting and eating on self-control in adult females with and without bulimia nervosa (BN). Specifically, the study team is investigating whether differences in behavior and brain activation in response to computer tasks after fasting and after eating a meal could help to explain the symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Data will be collected using questionnaires and a technology called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).