Exploring alternatives for adolescent anorexia nervosa: adolescent and parent treatment (APT) as a novel intervention prospect

Recovery and remission rates of adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) following Family Based Treatment (FBT) have seen a relative decline over recent years. While reasonably successful in achieving physical recovery (i.e. weight restoration), both empirical and anecdotal accounts highlight a lack of attention to the psychological recovery of the adolescent within manualised FBT. As such, there is a need for innovation to explore treatment variations and alternatives for the proportion of adolescents with AN who do not respond favourably to this first-line treatment. This paper introduces a new treatment framework to the field for clinical consideration and empirical assessment. Adolescent and Parent Treatment (APT) for adolescent AN draws from both family-based and individual treatment models, applying a developmental lens. APT attends to physical and psychological recovery simultaneously and from the start of treatment, with capacity to tailor individual psychological modules to the adolescent formulation. While clearly in its infancy, APT provides an exciting new avenue for exploration within the field, as we seek new avenues to support young people and their families to effectively combat this deadly illness.