Eating disorders: family-based therapy: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Eating disorders: family-based therapy

Sample item

A 14-year-old girl with anorexia nervosa of recent onset is medically stable. Which treatment has the best evidence?

APsychoanalysis for five yearsBFluoxetine aloneCLong-term olanzapine aloneDFamily-based therapy (Maudsley approach)

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Family-based therapy (Maudsley approach)

Family-based therapy, in which parents take charge of re-feeding in the early phase, is first-line for adolescent anorexia nervosa. Medication has a limited role. Admission is needed for medical instability or failure of outpatient care.

Option by option

A. Psychoanalysis for five years
Long psychoanalysis has weaker evidence.
B. Fluoxetine alone
Fluoxetine alone is ineffective in underweight anorexia.
C. Long-term olanzapine alone
Olanzapine alone is not sufficient treatment.
D. Family-based therapy (Maudsley approach) (correct)
Correct. Family-based therapy is first-line in adolescents.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is D, Family-based therapy (Maudsley approach). Family-based therapy, in which parents take charge of re-feeding in the early phase, is first-line for adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Why is "Psychoanalysis for five years" not the answer?

Long psychoanalysis has weaker evidence.

Why is "Fluoxetine alone" not the answer?

Fluoxetine alone is ineffective in underweight anorexia.

Why is "Long-term olanzapine alone" not the answer?

Olanzapine alone is not sufficient treatment.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Eating disorders: family-based therapy in Psychiatry. Medication has a limited role. Admission is needed for medical instability or failure of outpatient care.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Eating disorders: family-based therapy?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.