Short-term group treatment of bulimia. A Preliminary report

This study extends earlier research on body image disturbance in anorexia nervosa to the reactions of patients with bulimia nervosa. “Natural” procedures were employed, and normal comparison groups as well as those with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa used adjective scales to rate “the self,” mirror images of themselves that were veridical, exaggerated for fatness or for thinness and adjusted to their ideal, and a television image they had adjusted to show how they feel and then how they think their body is. The different adjustments and ratings that were made in each condition question the validity of any single estimates of body size. Nevertheless, this multimethod approach to the cognitive and affective components of body image shows that those with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa consistently emphasize their feelings of fatness.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body images in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Huon

Brown

1986

“…One outcome study which combined insight and behavioral techniques in both individual and group treatment reported a decrease in bulimic behaviors (Lacey, 1983). Those researchers who advocate the merits of specific treatments; individual psychotherapy (Crisp, 1981-82;Johnson, Conners & Stuckey, 1983), inpatient hospitalization (Halmi, 1982), and nutritional education (Lucas, 1983) and structured cognitivehehavioral programs (Orleans & Barnett, reference note 1; Coffman, reference note 2; Long, 1982), have yet to demonstrate in an empirical manner the long-term outcome of the illness and/or the relationship of the sociaYpsychologica1 symptoms with behavioral changes in the eating patterns. One outcome study that has assessed psychological change with treatment in normal-weight bulimia was conducted by Boskind-Ledahl and White (Boskind-Lodahl & White, 1976;Boskind-Lodahl & White, 1978).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A one-year outcome study of bulimia: Psychological and eating symptom changes in a treatment and non-treatment group

Norman

Herzog

Chauncey

1986

This paper presents data from a one‐year follow‐up of 37 normal‐weight bulimic patients who presented at an outpatient eating disorders clinic. Eating attitudes and behavior (EAT), social adjustment (SAS‐R), and psychological symptoms (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist) were assessed at evaluation and follow‐up. One‐half of the patients engaged in psychological treatment and the other half chose either no treatment or only medical/nutritional follow‐up. Treatment was associated with a decrease in disturbed eating attitudes, depression and somatic concerns. Social maladjustment persisted despite treatment.

“…Results of the present study indicate that there was, for the entire sample, a significant reduction in both bingeing and vomiting from pre-to posttest, corroborating other studies that have found short-term group treatment for bulimia effective (e.g., Johnson et al, 1983;Lacey, 1983; Kirkley et al, 1985). On further inspection, these results demonstrate that those whose symptomatology was most severe at onset, as a group, showed the greatest reduction in bulimic symptomatology at the conclusion of treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although several of the studies cited (Johnson et al, 1983;Stevens & Salisbury, 1984) report the number of binge/purge episodes per week, per subject pre-and posttreatment, the actual effect of shortterm group treatment on binge/purge behavior has not been studied in relation to the severity of symptom behavior at the onset of treatment. The majority of the studies cited report their findings as overall percent decreases in symptomatology, which as an outcome measure may tend to obscure different patterns of symptom change that may exist in relation to the presenting severity of symptomatology at the onset of treatment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Frommer

Ames

Gibson

et al. 1987

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.