Defining recovery in Anorexia Nervosa - The importance of concept clarification

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this dissertation is to identify major problems that obscure understanding of recovery in Anorexia Nervosa, to differentiate recovery from other closely related concepts, and to highlight the importance of reaching a consensus on the use of terminology.

Method: Literature review based on papers that address the concepts of recovery, remission and outcome in Anorexia Nervosa. Relevant literature included in this review was identified by searching the electronic databases Cochrane library, PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Psychinfo. Searches were made on literature published between the years 1996-2007, to provide and overview of the field from the past decade. 42 articles were included in the final selection.

Findings: Recovery rates varied between 6% and 83% depending on the definitions used.

Conclusions: The research literature on outcome and recovery in AN provides enormous variability and great confusion when defining terms such as outcome, remission and recovery. Recovery is a term frequently used, but less frequently defined, in outcome studies. Multiple interpretations and measures make evaluating research difficult. The need to clarify concepts, develop theory, and enhance communication is significant if one is to move the field forward.