Overview and Definitions
Despite laudable efforts, a substantial portion of individuals with eating disorders who receive empirically supported interventions do not show marked improvement in treatment (Wilson et al. 2007). Given the central role of overvaluation of weight and shape in the development and maintenance of many eating disorders, the topic of weighing and being weighed is a critical issue currently facing eating-disorder practitioners. While there is a general consensus among clinicians that clients with eating disorders should stop self-weighing for a period of time to aid recovery, there is no corresponding consensus about the role of weighing clients and giving them weight-related information in treatment. Some treatment models, including most cognitive-behavioral approaches, strongly recommend “open weighing” (sharing the client’s weight with him or her), while other models recommend “blind weighing” (not sharing weight-related information with the client), or provide...
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References and Further Reading
Fairburn, C. G. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
Forbush, K. T., Richardson, J. H., & Bohrer, B. K. (2015). Clinicians’ practices regarding blind versus open weighing among patients with eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 905–911.
Kosmerly, S., Waller, G., & Robinson, A. L. (2015). Clinician adherence to guidelines in the delivery of family-based therapy for eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 223–229.
Waller, G., Cordery, H., Corstorphine, E., Hinrichsen, H., Lawson, R., Mountford, V., & Russell, K. (2007). The role of weighing in CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders: A comprehensive treatment guide (pp. 162–176). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Wilson, G. T., Grilo, C. M., & Vitousek, K. M. (2007). Psychological treatment of eating disorders. American Psychologist, 62, 199–216.
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Richardson, J.H., Forbush, K.T. (2017). Weighing as Treatment for Eating Disorders. In: Wade, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-104-6_196
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-104-6_196
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