CBT vs Interpersonal Therapy for Bulemia

From the Harvard Mental Health Letter, Feb 2001 v17

Comparing Psychotherapies for Bulimia.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Harvard Health Publications Group

In a study of treatments for bulimia - voracious eating followed by vomiting or the use of laxatives - two kinds of psychotherapy have proved effective, but not equally effective. In research conducted at Stanford and Columbia Universities, 220 patients were recruited by advertisements or referrals from clinics and assigned at random for weekly sessions lasting 412 months to one of two treatments: cognitive behavioral therapy, which concentrates on changes in thinking habits, or interpersonal therapy, which concentrates on personal relations and especially personal losses.

On average, the participants had been bulimic for eleven years. Half of them had a lifetime history of major depression, and 22% were depressed at the beginning of the study. Twenty-five percent had a history of anorexia nervosa, the self-starvation disorder. Before and after treatment, patients were interviewed and answered a questionnaire about personal problems, social adjustment, and self-esteem.

In both groups, about 30% of the patients dropped out. Among the rest, 48% in the cognitive therapy group and 28% in the interpersonal therapy group were significantly improved (binge eating less than twice a week in the previous month) at the end of treatment; 29% in the first group and only 6% in the second group had achieved a full recovery (no eating binges in the previous month). Self-esteem, personal relations, and concerns about weight and body shape were similar in both groups.

One year later, the picture had changed. Forty percent of patients who completed cognitive therapy and 27% of those who completed interpersonal therapy had recovered - a difference that was not statistically significant. Although long-term effects were apparently similar in both groups, the authors recommend cognitive therapy because it worked faster.

Agras WS, "A Multicenter Comparison of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Bulimia," Archives of General Psychiatry (May 2000): Vol. 57, pp. 459-466.

Replies:

There are no replies to this message.

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.