Successful self-management of severe bulimia: a case study

A young woman with a nine-year history of bingeing and purging was given instruction in behavioral principles. She then designed and carried out a program that included paced eating of pre-planned meals, following by differential reinforcement of non-purging behaviors, which featured high frequency of reinforcement early in training. Inter-meal "binge-feelings" were treated by reinforcing abstentions. A graded system of contingent exercise also was employed for purging behaviors. Episodes decreased to a low level after one month and were completely absent nine months later. The amelioration of this problem resulted in progress being made for the first time with her emotional problems that were being treated elsewhere by psychodynamic psychotherapy.