Emoções na anorexia nervosa: Teoria, pesquisa e prática

Abstract

Systematic reviews of literature have consistently identified emotion-processing deficits and the presence of alexithymia in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). On theoretical level, emotional difficulties have been integrated into the explanatory models of the disorder. However, although focused on emotional processes that can be seen as complementary, these etiological perspectives seem to have little articulation between them. Based on this fact, this study sought to systematize the main contributions of the models focusing on the etiologic role of emotions and, additionally, propose a more integrated view of them. This theoretical review was complemented with a synthesis of studies on emotional processing and alexithymia in AN, presenting avenues for psychological intervention. From a clinical point of view, we analyzed the implications for practice that arise from the combination of theoretical and empirical contributions.