A scoping review of integrated yoga and psychological approaches for the treatment of eating disorders

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that significantly impact the social and economic burden of mental ill health in Australia. Best practice treatment for eating disorders includes a multi-axial approach, including medical, psychiatric, and psychological approaches. More recently, complementary and alternative therapy approaches, such as yoga, are used to support eating disorder recovery. METHODS: This scoping review identified and examined current research exploring the use of yoga alongside psychological approaches for the treatment and management of eating disorders across the lifespan. RESULTS: Results highlighted the lack of available research, with only four studies identified. Three of these studies piloted programs and identified promising results with a reduction of eating disorder symptomatology. However, these results remain tentative due to methodological limitations and the overall lack of available evidence. In the future, researchers are encouraged to clearly articulate the theoretical concepts that underpin their yoga programs and focus on adequately powered and designed trials, such as RCTs, to accurately compare treatment effects between interventions combining yoga with psychological interventions and standard psychological treatment. Qualitative enquiry is also recommended to provide further insights regarding what makes interventions successful. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence suggests further guidance and pragmatic recommendations to guide researchers and clinicians alike are required, ultimately improving outcomes for people experiencing an eating disorder across the lifespan.