Assessment of Psychophysiological Differences in Eating Disorders after an IntegratedTreatment.

Objective: Assess the effectiveness of integrated therapy (IT) in a group of patients with Eating Disorders (EDs), focusing on the variations achieved by the sample, divided into AN (Anorexia Nervosa) and BN (Bulimia Nervosa), including the psychophysiological assessment of some parameters. Results: A significant difference in SCL and HR in baseline values was noticed. In particular AN subgroup achieved SCL values definitely lower than BN subgroup. A significant increase in the same parameter was obtained in AN subgroups in the long term evaluation, with a normalization of the values with BN subgroup. Discussion: Some interesting characteristics emerged in two parameters: SCL and HR. AN showed a significant lower values and a steady profile in SCL and hypoactivation in HR: at the diagnostic phase anorexic and bulimic groups' values were significantly different. Improvement observed in SCL parameter in AN might be understood in light of new prospective theories that investigate the psychopathological characteristics associated with a given diagnostic category. Some experimental research demonstrates a tendency for females suffering from EDs to "exhibit" intense emotional reactions on the behavioral and verbal levels, despite experiencing little physiological activation. The greater physiological reactivity found in this study following the IT may be interpreted as reflecting patients' learning of new cognitive strategies for processing and managing emotional experiences. Conclusion: Psychophysiological assessment can be an important and objective help for a proper differential diagnosis and for treatment evaluation in a prospective of IT.