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Related Experiment Videos

Self-help for bulimia nervosa: a randomized controlled trial.

Jacqueline C Carter1, Marion P Olmsted, Allan S Kaplan

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Eaton Wing B-231, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada.

The American Journal of Psychiatry
|May 3, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Unguided self-help manuals, including cognitive behavior and nonspecific self-help, effectively reduced bulimia nervosa symptoms for some patients. Both approaches showed similar outcomes, suggesting potential as an initial treatment step.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Eating Disorders Research

Background:

  • Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder requiring effective treatment.
  • Unguided self-help is a potential low-cost intervention for initial treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of unguided self-help interventions as a first-line treatment for bulimia nervosa.
  • To compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavior self-help versus nonspecific self-help manuals.

Main Methods:

  • 85 women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa were randomized to receive cognitive behavior self-help, nonspecific self-help, or a waiting list control for 8 weeks.
  • Symptom frequency, dietary restraint, eating concerns, shape/weight concerns, and psychopathology were assessed.
  • Intention-to-treat analysis was used to analyze the data.

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Main Results:

  • Both cognitive behavior and nonspecific self-help groups showed significant reductions in binge eating and purging frequency compared to the control group.
  • No significant changes were observed in dietary restraint, eating concerns, shape/weight concerns, or general psychopathology.
  • Over 50% of participants in both self-help groups achieved at least a 50% reduction in binge eating or purging.

Conclusions:

  • Unguided self-help, particularly cognitive behavior and nonspecific approaches, can be an effective initial treatment for a subset of individuals with bulimia nervosa.
  • Cognitive behavior and nonspecific self-help interventions demonstrated comparable effectiveness in reducing core bulimia nervosa symptoms.