Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and eating disorders: A systematic review

This article defines eating disorders (ED), looks at traumatic origins, and reviews EMDR therapy as treatment for ED through 2017.

Article Abstract

“Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) are considered an emergency from a medical, health, and social point of view in all Western countries. Alongside the great attention paid to the subject in public and the social media, EDs are a source of perplexity both for the scientific community, which attempts to study the psychopathogenetic processes and maintenance mechanisms of EDs and to monitor clinical interventions, and for clinicians, who often find themselves with patients who are difficult, reluctant to change and set up a solid therapeutic alliance, and inclined to drop out. This article aims to study the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) in the treatment of EDs through a process of systematic revision of the literature, after defining EDs theoretically, underlining a possible traumatic origin for their onset.

Method: In order to carry out a systematic analysis of the literature, the following bibliographic databases were used: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. The time criteria were set from the beginning of records to February 2017.

Results: Despite noteworthy clinical suggestions, the scarcity thus far of the studies in the literature, and their methodological limitations, do not allow clear conclusions to be drawn with regard to EMDR’s efficacy.

Conclusions: EMDR appears to be a promising approach, but further scientific evidence in support of its efficacy is required.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Open Access 

Balbo, M., Zaccagnino, M., Cussino, M., & Civilotti, C. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and eating disorders: A systematic review. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(5), 321-329. Open access: https://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/clinical-neuropsychiatry-volume-14-issue-5-october-2017/