Bulimia: an individual behavioral analysis

This transcript is taken from the initial interview with a 24-year-old woman presenting with the problems of depression related to episodic binge eating, and anxiety concerning her difficulty to control her weight. Behavior analysis of the problem indicates that while the patient's binge eating was a means to cope with feelings of anxiety and emotional distress, her struggle to exert strict dietary control and maintain a thin body shape was in order to avoid negative evaluation, criticism and social rejection. Predisposing factors and precipitating events were examined to help explain the development of this behavioral pattern.