Bulimia, Binge Eating Respond To Talk Therapy

Although most people with bulimia and binge eating disorders wait many years before seeking help, a new review shows that psychological treatment can make a large difference and that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective talk therapy for these disorders.

People with bulimia experience cycles of disordered eating behavior in which they overeat and then purge, often by self-induced vomiting or taking laxatives. Binge eating disorder includes bouts of overeating, but without purging, and researchers have linked it to obesity.

Eating disorders are most common in women, with bulimia affecting about 1 percent of women and binge eating disorder affecting 2 percent to 5 percent. Although bulimia rates appear stable, binge eating disorder increasingly is becoming common.

The review included 48 studies with 3,054 participants and strengthened earlier findings in favor of cognitive behavioral therapy. It found that 37 percent of people completely stopped binge eating when given CBT focused on binging while 3 percent of those assigned to a waiting list control group quit. Read more