ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN EATING DISORDERS AFTER AN INTEGRATED TREATMENT

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of integrated therapy (IT) in a group of patients with Eating Disorders (EDs; N= 19), divided into AN (Anorexia Nervosa) and BN (Bulimia Nervosa), using the psychophysiological assessment of some parameters, with an experimental design. The statistical analysis was performed using between-within parametric statistics when data were normally distributed and non-parametric when they were not. During the psychophysiological registration a significant difference in SCL and HR in baseline values was noticed. In particular AN subgroup showed SCL values definitely lower than BN subgroup and a steady profile besides a hypoactivation in HR. A significant increase in SCL parameter was obtained in AN subgroup in the long term evaluation, with a normalization of the values with BN subgroup. 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: in particular, a tendency for females suffering from EDs to “exhibit” intense emotional reactions on the behavioral and verbal levels, despite experiencing a small physiological activation. The greater physiological reactivity following the IT may reflect patients’ learning of new cognitive strategies for processing and managing emotional experiences. Therefore psychophysiological assessment can be an important and objective help for a proper differential diagnosis and for treatment evaluation in a prospective of IT.