Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy for Adolescent Eating Disorders

Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy for Adolescent Eating Disorders (ICAT-A)

Recently, Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT), a novel intervention for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) that targets emotion regulation deficits, has shown promise in reducing eating disorder symptoms as well as improving emotion regulation capacities in adults. However, this treatment has not been investigated in an adolescent sample. Given the contributing role of emotion regulation in adolescent eating disorder symptoms and limited treatment options for adolescents with BN and BED, the aim of this study is to adapt the existing adult ICAT treatment for adolescents with clinically significant binge eating (ICAT-A) and to evaluate the extent to which ICAT-A is helpful in reducing binge eating and associated eating disorder symptoms in a younger sample.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subject with full and sub-threshold bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (that is binge eating weekly)
• No major weight loss (defined as a reduction of 10% baseline body weight or more)
• Subject who meet criteria for any Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) eating disorder characterized by binge eating with or without compensatory behavior
• Subjects who take medications that do not directly impact weight or appetite (including Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants) will be included if their dose has been stable for at least six weeks
• Subject must be living at home
• At least one parent/guardian is willing to participate in the treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subject on medications that influence weight or appetite (including antipsychotic medications)
• Subject who is medically or psychiatrically unstable (defined as requiring hospitalization within the past 3 months)
• Acutely suicidal requiring current hospitalization or who meet criteria for substance use disorder in the past month
• Subjects who become or psychiatrically unstable during the study will be re-evaluated, removed from the study, and referred for appropriate treatment.