A cognitive-behavioral group treatment of bulimia

This study evaluated a cognitive behavioral group treatment with bulimics. All 13 participants met the DSM-III-R criteria for bulimia nervosa. A multiple baseline design was used with three groups that received the same treatment. The duration of baseline varied for each group: 2, 6, and 10 weeks. The two primary dependent variables were daily self-reports of binging and purging. Five additional outcome measures were used to provide corroboration and to assess broader psychopathology and cognitive changes. Significant reductions in binging and purging occurred between baseline and the end of treatment and between baseline and three weeks post discharge. When data from one outlier were eliminated, those reductions were also maintained at three months post discharge. The five additional variables also showed consistent and meaningful clinical improvements. The results support the value of using a cognitive behavioral approach in group treatment with bulimics.