Anorexia Nervosa and Motivation for Behavioral Change - Can it be Enhanced?

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a devastating psychiatric illness associated with high chronicity and it carries the highest risk of mortality among all psychiatric disorders. One of the main issues preventing recovery is the low motivation for change. The psychopathology behind this resistance is related to the egosyntonic nature of the disorder i.e. that at the same time, AN thoughts and behaviors leads to a sense of control but also to a limited sense of freedom leading to distress. It is in this dual and ambiguous state that opportunities for enhancing motivation for behavioral change lies. Motivational Interviewing and Motivational Enhancement Therapy are techniques to promote behavioral change in AN. Science is in the early stages and clear evidence of its efficacy, however strong the rationale may be for its use in Eating Disorders, is yet to be provided from well design scientific studies.