Testing a New Therapy for Teens with Restrictive Eating Disorders

This trial is testing Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT) for teenagers aged 14–19 who have restrictive eating disorders that haven't improved with previous treatment. RO-DBT is a therapy designed to address emotional overcontrol—the tendency to be overly rigid with emotions and self-control—which researchers believe may be a core part of why eating disorders like anorexia develop and persist. The study will evaluate whether this treatment can help prevent these eating disorders from becoming long-lasting problems.

Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa, are serious psychiatric illnesses with high mortality rates. About 20% of people with eating disorders develop chronic, severe forms that are extremely hard to treat, and there is very little research on what actually helps this group. This trial exists to test whether targeting emotional overcontrol through this specialized therapy might change the course of the illness for teenagers at risk.