2022 Volume 62 Issue 3 Pages 215-219
Although it is difficult to treat eating disorders, appropriate psychotherapy can be administered for each patient by understanding and assessing the psychopathology of the disease. The essence of the symptoms of eating disorders is “adherence,” which derives from “perfectionism” based on the uncertainty of self-existence. Symptoms tend to be chronic owing to “addiction,” as one side of the eating disorder, and “hypersensitivity to oneself,” as the other. Assessment is important across the three axes of stages of disease, types of personality, and levels of motivation. We can assess the depth of psychopathology of each patient based on the early, lasting, and chronic stages of disease; reactive/conflictive, adherent, and impulsive types of personality; and recovery, fear, and denial levels of motivation. For ambulant treatment, we should approach patients with eating disorders according to the depth of their psychopathology, mainly through using a simple version of cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is important that therapist to share an image of recovery with patients.
