Bulimia, the binge-eating syndrome, is a widespread and perhaps increasingly prevalent public health problem. The full-blown disorder may be accompanied by severe psychologic and physiologic sequelae. Much remains to be learned about the nature and treatment of this disorder. Thus three related studies examining aspects of the treatment and psychopathology of bulimia are proposed. Uncontrolled studies suggest that a cognitive behavioral treatment applied individually or in a group format is a promising approach to the treatment of bulimia, but no controlled treatment studies have appeared to date. In Study 1, 60 bulimic women will be allocated at random to three treatment conditions: cognitive behavioral therapy, with or without attention to vomiting, and a control condition. Treatment will be carried out in a group format over a one-year period and a multilevel assessment will include measures of eating behavior, binging and vomiting, body weight and electrolytes, and psychologic indices. Selected follow-up measures will be obtained six months and one year after the end of the initial treatment phase. An examination will be made of baseline variables that might predict treatment outcome. In Study 2, a comparison sample of women with normal eating behavior will allow a comparison of normal and bulimic eating styles and an estimate of the degree of normalization of bulimic eating patterns posttreatment. In Study 3, the first degree relatives of both bulimic and normal participants will be examine for the presence of eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and obesity, as well as primary affective disorders, alcoholism, and substance abuse. This will allow for an estimation of the relative prevalence of these disorders in relatives of bulimic and nonbulimic women and help to determine the relationship between bulimia and other psychiatric disorders.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH038637-02
Application #
3376750
Study Section
(TDAA)
Project Start
1984-08-01
Project End
1987-07-31
Budget Start
1985-08-01
Budget End
1986-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1985
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Stanford University
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
800771545
City
Stanford
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94305
Eldredge, K L; Stewart Agras, W; Arnow, B et al. (1997) The effects of extending cognitive-behavioral therapy for binge eating disorder among initial treatment nonresponders. Int J Eat Disord 21:347-52
Agras, W S (1997) Pharmacotherapy of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: longer-term outcomes. Psychopharmacol Bull 33:433-6
Agras, W S; Telch, C F; Arnow, B et al. (1997) One-year follow-up of cognitive-behavioral therapy for obese individuals with binge eating disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol 65:343-7
Koran, L M; Agras, W S; Rossiter, E M et al. (1995) Comparing the cost effectiveness of psychiatric treatments: bulimia nervosa. Psychiatry Res 58:13-21
Arnow, B; Kenardy, J; Agras, W S (1995) The Emotional Eating Scale: the development of a measure to assess coping with negative affect by eating. Int J Eat Disord 18:79-90
Agras, W S; Telch, C F; Arnow, B et al. (1995) Does interpersonal therapy help patients with binge eating disorder who fail to respond to cognitive-behavioral therapy? J Consult Clin Psychol 63:356-60
Telch, C F; Agras, W S (1994) Obesity, binge eating and psychopathology: are they related? Int J Eat Disord 15:53-61
Agras, W S; Rossiter, E M; Arnow, B et al. (1994) One-year follow-up of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for bulimia nervosa. J Clin Psychiatry 55:179-83
Rossiter, E M; Agras, W S; Telch, C F et al. (1993) Cluster B personality disorder characteristics predict outcome in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 13:349-57
Agras, W S; Rossiter, E M; Arnow, B et al. (1992) Pharmacologic and cognitive-behavioral treatment for bulimia nervosa: a controlled comparison. Am J Psychiatry 149:82-7

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