The Maudsley Model of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA): Development, Key Features, and Preliminary Evidence

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe mental disorder that affects mainly young females. In adults with a well-established form of the illness, it is hard to treat. In 2006, we proposed a maintenance model of AN, combining intra- and interpersonal factors and we have recently refined this model. The model encompasses four main maintaining factors (a thinking style characterized by rigidity, detail focus, and a fear of making mistakes; an avoidant emotion processing and relational style; positive beliefs about the use of anorexia for the person [pro-anorexia beliefs]; and a response of close others to the illness characterized by high expressed emotion and enabling of and accommodation to the illness). In this article, we describe how the model has been translated into a novel treatment for AN and the preliminary evidence supporting this. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.