Clinical Symposium Example
Body image in Eating Disorders: Assessment and Treatment
Convenor: Tuschen-Caffier, B University of Bielefeld, Germany
Dissatisfaction with body weight and shape is typical for patients with eating disorders. However, it is still unknown, how patients with eating disorders experience their body in their everyday life and what kind of treatment may enhance body dissatisfaction. Especially, it is unknown, what kind of beliefs may maintain body checking behavior or the avoidance of self-exposure to mirrors. Furthermore, it is an open question whether body dissatisfaction requires a specific intervention and which techniques may be most effective in the treatment of body dissatisfaction. Therefore, the symposium will focus on the following themes: The first presentation (Mountford) will be about the relationship between body checking behaviors and related beliefs in eating-disordered as well as healthy women. Data on psychometric characteristics based on a new measure of cognitions regarding body checking behaviours (using an established measure) will be analysed. The second presenter (Probst) will talk about the mirror behaviour of patients with eating disorders. Furthermore, the presentation will give an insight into the body experience of patients who do and those who do not avoid mirrors. Concerning the treatment of dissatisfaction with body shape and weight exposure techniques have recently been included in treatment programs. However, previous research cannot answer the question if body exposure is more efficient than other interventions. Thus, the following two presentations are addressed to this research theme: One presentation ( Wilson) will be about guided mirror exposure with a mindfulness-based rationale compared to a credible, nondirective treatment intervention. The other presentation (Tuschen-Caffier) will be about mirror exposure compared to cognitive interventions and a waiting-list condition. The primary aim of the last talk (Shafran) is to determine the influence of body size estimation on the immediate and longer-term outcome of patients with eating disorders treated with cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Speakers
Mountford, V and Haase, A. St George’s Eating Disorder Service, University of Bristol, UK
Probst, M. K.U. Leuven, Department Rehabilitation Sciences and Universitair Centrum Kortenberg, and Arteveldehogeschool Opleidingseenheid Kinesitherapie Gent, Belgium.
Wilson , T, Rutgers University, USA
Tuschen-Caffier, B, Schüssel, C. Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Germany, and Weinbrenner, B. Christop-Dornier-Stifung Für Klinische Psychologie, Institut Siegen, Germany
