Patterns of symptom change in the short-term group treatment of bulimia

Abstract

This study examines the effect on bulimic symptomatology of short‐term group treatment using a combined cognitive‐behavioral and psychodynamic approach in 92 female subjects. Patterns of symptom change at the completion of a 12‐week group were studied. Changes in frequency of bingeing and vomiting pre‐ and posttest were measured by means of dependent correlated t‐tests. Although results indicated that, in general, there was a decrease in both bingeing and vomiting from the beginning to the end of the group, various patterns of symptom change were observed based upon presenting severity of symptomatology.

Sampling of empirically supported psychological treatments from health psychology: Smoking, chronic pain, cancer, and bulimia nervosa.

“…The combination at the outset, however, appears to offer no apparent benefit compared with CBT alone. It should also be noted that a few studies that have tried to independently assess the benefits of family therapy (Russell, Szmuckler, Zare, & Eisler, 1987) and psychodynamic oriented therapy (Frommer, Ames, Gibson, & Davis, 1987) have yielded very poor outcomes. The comparison of CBT with interpersonal psychotherapy is less clear.…”

Factors influencing the outcome of group psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa

“…Therapists have run groups according to various orientations, including cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT; Kirkley et al, 1985;Lee & Rush, 1986;Pike et al, 1996;Wolf & Crowther, 1992); psychoeducational group therapy (e.g., Wolchick, Weiss, & Katzman, 1986;Conners, Johnson, & Stuckey, 1984); psychodynamic therapy (e.g., MacKenzie & Livesley, 1983;Weinstein & Richman, 1984); supportive psychotherapy (e.g., Gordon & Ahmed, 1988); and eclectic, or mixed, approaches (e.g., Lacey, 1983;Stevens & Salisbury, 1984;Frommer, Ames, Gibson, & Davis, 1987). The most frequently employed approach is cognitive-behavioral, although there is inevitably some overlap in content of these models.…”