Metacognitive training to help adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a feasibility pilot of Metacognitive Training for Eating Disorders (MCT-ED) aimed at reducing rigid thinking, perfectionism, and cognitive biases that help maintain anorexia nervosa symptoms. The intervention is delivered to adolescents currently followed in outpatient eating disorder services, using a manualised session checklist and routine supervision to ensure fidelity. The primary focus is on process outcomes—recruitment, retention, adherence, and safety—rather than clinical efficacy. Sessions are provided via videoconference when appropriate and the team documents engagement and delivery for reproducibility.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adolescents aged 13 to 19 years;
* Diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa or Atypical Anorexia Nervosa; confirmed by the treating child and adolescent psychiatrist according to DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 criteria;
* Currently followed in an Eating Disorder Outpatient Consultation;
* Fluent in Portuguese.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Acute suicidal ideation or behaviour requiring immediate clinical intervention;
* Imminent risk of hospitalization due to clinical deterioration;
* Current diagnosis of psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or substance dependence;
* Any clinical condition that, in the judgment of the treating clinician, would make participation in a videoconference-based intervention inappropriate.

Where it's running

• Hospital Beatriz Ângelo - Unidade Local de Saúde Loures-Odivelas, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Loures, Portugal
  Loures, Portugal Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Andreia Espírito Santo, PhD Student — NOVA National School of Public Health, Comprehensive Health Research Centre, REAL, CCAL, Portugal
• Study coordinator: Andreia Espírito Santo, PhD Student
• Email: acj.santo@ensp.unl.pt
• Phone: 00351219 847 200

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Specialist Supportive Clinical Management for teens with anorexia or atypical anorexia

  This study tests a teen-focused SSCM approach to help 13-17 year-olds with anorexia nervosa or atypical anorexia nervosa when other treatments haven’t worked or can’t be used.

  Recruiting Karolinska Institutet · Stockholm · NCT07893145

• Identifying Signatures of Gut Interoception in Functional Dyspepsia and Anorexia Nervosa

  This study tests how the gut-brain connection works in people with functional dyspepsia or anorexia nervosa using brain imaging.

  Recruiting Massachusetts General Hospital · Boston, Massachusetts · NCT07772167

• Online FBT-DBT for Caregivers of Teens with Anorexia Nervosa

  This online program tests a combination of family-based and DBT skills to help caregivers of teens with anorexia nervosa manage stress and improve family support.

  Recruiting Shanghai Mental Health Center · Shanghai · NCT07734779

• Eating Disorder Dynamic Intervention

  A digital program is tested to help adults with eating disorders by sending real-time, personalized coping tips based on smartphone surveys and sensor data.

  Recruiting Trustees of Dartmouth College · Lebanon, New Hampshire · NCT07600671

• Hormone and metabolic patterns in hypothalamus-like brain cells from people with anorexia nervosa

  This study will test whether hypothalamic-like neurons made from adult women with long-standing anorexia nervosa respond differently to metabolic hormones than neurons from healthy women.

  Recruiting University of Zurich · Zurich · NCT07580209

• Narrative medicine workshops to support teens and young adults with anorexia nervosa (virtual)

  This program tests whether a six-week series of narrative medicine workshops can help 16–25-year-olds with anorexia nervosa express themselves, reflect, and build resilience.

  Recruiting University of California, San Francisco · San Francisco, California · NCT07579442

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.