Application of cognitive remediation therapy in adolescents with an eating disorder: A pilot study

Recent studies have shown that patients with an eating disorder have deficits in neuropsychological functioning. Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) was developed to improve these cognitive deficits. The objective of this study was to apply a CRT to a group of adolescents with an eating disorder (n= 11), whose age ranged between 13 and 19 (M= 16.18, SD= 1.99). Central coherence and cognitive flexibility were analyzed by means of the Rey Complex Figure Test and the Trail Making Test, and other clinical measures. Ten weekly 45-minute sessions were designed. The results of this study indicated that CRT is outstanding to improve central coherence in patients with an eating disorder. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of CRT in this clinical population. Future research may incorporate randomized controlled trials with control groups as well as the use of a transdiagnostic perspective.