Differences between anorexia patients and participants of the Minnesota hunger experiment: Consequences for treatment

The hunger experiment was carried out in 1944 by Anselm Keys and others in the American city of Minnesota. The aim was to investigate the consequences of starvation in order to be able to restore the health of hunger victims of the Second World War. How could they be treated in the best possible way to regain a healthy weight? For this purpose 36 physical and psychosocial healthy young men were selected from a large group of men who refused to serve in the American Army. They were examined very carefully in the period before the hunger experiment which lasted 6 months. In this period they received only two mails a day with half of the number of calories they were used to eat. This period of malinutrition was followed by 3 months of refeeding. Not only their weight recovered quite well, but also the psychosocial consequences of starvation disappeared completely [1].&nbsp

Onbegrensd lijnen : een onderzoek naar culturele en sexespecifieke factoren in de ontwikkeling van anorexia nervosa /

Diss. doct.: Rijksuniversiteit Groninge

Recovered eating disorder therapists using their experiential knowledge in therapy: A qualitative examination of the therapists’ and the patients’ view

In the eating disorder (ED) field there is a lack of guidelines regarding the utilization of recovered therapists and the experiential knowledge they can bring to therapy. In this study, a qualitative design was used to examine recovered eating disorder therapists using their experiential knowledge and how this influences therapy and the patients they treat. Respectively, 205 patients (response rate 57%), and 26 recovered therapists (response rate 75%) completed a questionnaire about advantages and disadvantages of the utilization of experiential knowledge in therapy. Results showed that using experiential knowledge can have several advantages and disadvantages in therapy. Therapists can use this knowledge as a therapeutic intervention with specific goals, such as providing the patient with insight into the recovery process, establishing a working relationship, and enhancing hope for recovery. To be effective, self-disclosure and experiential knowledge need to be shared thoughtfully, and should not include specific details about ED symptoms. Other factors noted that enhanced the benefits of experiential knowledge included therapist self-insight and self-care, adequate training and guidance, and a safe work environment. Patients stated that being treated by a recovered therapist had a positive effect on their recovery process. It is advised to establish guidelines in the ED field about working with recovered therapists and the experiential knowledge they might use in therapy. Further research is needed on the process of when, how, and which experiential knowledge is shared by recovered therapists in therapy, and the effects of these interventions on patients and their treatment outcomes