[Intensive psychiatric treatment system for bulimic patients by group therapy]

Concurrent bulimia nervosa/purging type and anorexia nervosa/binge-purging type including binge eating and purging behaviors are considered chronic types of eating disorders. The bulimic patients in this study had both these disorders. Psychiatric treatment for patients with eating disorders must focus on therapy of these bulimic patients, because bulimic patients are more prevalent in the psychiatric hospital and clinic, and they have more comorbid psychiatric disorders and more other addictive behaviors than other patients with eating disorders. We have devised an intensive psychiatric treatment system for bulimic patients by group therapy that consists of inpatient treatment, group therapy for parents and group rehabilitation. Inpatient treatment, called the Eating Disorders Education Program (EDEP), consists of group psychological education, group cognitive-behavioral therapy, group nutrition education, and group exercise. Group therapy for parents consists of psychological education and group meetings. Group rehabilitation consists of many group activities in a house named "Mimoza". Bulimic patients come to understand their own disorders and symptoms objectively and understand recovery from their disorders by the intensive treatment system. Bulimic patients generally recover very slowly from eating disorders, but our intensive psychiatric treatment system promotes rapid recovery.