Establishing CBT-T in an NHS moderate-severe adult eating disorder service.

Abstract

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Ten (CBT-T) is a new intervention for non-underweight eating disorders (EDs), developed as a cost-effective alternative to current NICE recommended interventions. We present a mixed methods review of the implementation of CBT-T in a large moderate-severe adult ED NHS service. This includes qualitative feedback from clinicians and patients alongside data on outcomes. Clinician and patient feedback demonstrated CBT-T as realistic, feasible and acceptable to implement in NHS settings. Statistical analysis showed that CBT-T was effective across diagnoses on a range of measures. For anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), there was a significant reduction in concern around weight, shape and eating; with further reductions around eating restraint, total Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) scores, and bingeing frequency. For BN, there were also significant improvements in psychological functioning and depression, with significant decreases in vomiting and exercise frequency. Findings demonstrate the usefulness of CBT-T as a cost-effective alternative intervention for non-underweight EDs and highlight areas for further research such as for binge eating disorder (BED).