Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Self-Help Treatments

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders

  • 15 Accesses

Synonyms

Self-directed interventions; Stepped care

Background and Definition

Most countries struggle with rising healthcare costs. These struggles include, but are not limited to, the provision of appropriate mental healthcare. Access to evidence-based psychological interventions is crucial to achieve good outcomes, yet resources are typically limited and vary widely among different countries. Self-help interventions can contribute to closing the treatment gap: They can be made available (virtually) anywhere in the world and at any time, and they are associated with much lower cost than face-to-face therapy.

Self-help has been defined as “a psychological treatment in which the patient takes home a standardized psychological treatment protocol and works through it more or less independently. This protocol involves a guide that describes the steps that the patient can take in order to apply a generally accepted psychological treatment to him- or herself. The standardized psychological...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 599.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 649.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References and Further Reading

  • Bauer, S., Okon, E., Meermann, R., & Kordy, H. (2012). Technology-enhanced maintenance of treatment gains in eating disorders: Efficacy of an intervention via text messaging. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(4), 700–706.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beintner, I., Fittig, E., Möbius, K., & Jacobi, C. (2013). Internet-based aftercare for women with severe and chronic bulimia nervosa following inpatient treatment. Paper presented at the European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII) 2nd Meeting, Linköping.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beintner, I., Jacobi, C., & Schmidt, U. H. (2014). Participation and outcome in manualized self-help for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder – A systematic review and metaregression analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(2), 158–176.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, P. J. (1995). Bulimia nervosa and binge-eating: A guide to recovery. New York: NYU Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuijpers, P., & Schuurmans, J. P. (2007). Self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: An overview. Current Psychiatry Reports, 9(4), 284–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fairburn, C. G. (2013). Overcoming binge eating (2nd ed.). New York: The Guildford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fichter, M., Cebulla, M., Quadflieg, N., & Naab, S. (2008). Guided self-help for binge eating/purging anorexia nervosa before inpatient treatment. Psychotherapy Research, 18(5), 594–603.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fichter, M., Quadflieg, N., & Lindner, S. (2013). Internet-based relapse prevention for anorexia nervosa: Nine-month follow-up. Journal of Eating Disorders, 1, 23.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gulec, H., Moessner, M., Tury, F., Fiedler, P., Mezei, A., & Bauer, S. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based posttreatment care for patients with eating disorders. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 20(10), 916–922.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hötzel, K., von Brachel, R., Schmidt, U., Rieger, E., Kosfelder, J., Hechler, T., Schulte, D., & Vocks, S. (2014). An internet-based program to enhance motivation to change in females with symptoms of an eating disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine, 44(9), 1947–1963.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobi, C., Völker, U., Trockel, M. T., & Taylor, C. B. (2012). Effects of an internet-based intervention for subthreshold eating disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Research and Therapy, 50(2), 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohlmer, R., Jacobi, C., & Taylor, C. B. (2013). Preventing symptom progression in women at risk for AN: Results of a pilot study. European Eating Disorder Review, 21(4), 323–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treasure, J. L., & Schmidt, U. (1997). Getting better bit(e) by bit(e): A survival Kit for sufferers of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitz Str 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany

    Corinna Jacobi

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technical University Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany

    Ina Beintner

Authors
  1. Corinna Jacobi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ina Beintner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Corinna Jacobi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Tracey Wade

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Cite this entry

Jacobi, C., Beintner, I. (2017). Self-Help Treatments. In: Wade, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-104-6_60

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-104-6_60

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-287-103-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-104-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation