Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a recently described eating disorder characterized by binge eating not accompanied by compensatory behavior such as purging, but associated with significant stress. A large proportion of patients with BED are overweight. When presenting for weight control treatment, they exhibit, in addition to their eating disorder, higher rates of associated psychopathology compared to other overweight patients, particularly depressive symptoms. This study will examine the relative and additive efficacy of two contrasting treatments for BED: individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication. The study sample will consist of 120 overweight patients with BED. All patients will receive standard group behavioral treatment, and the study will determine whether individual CBT, medication, or both CBT and medication confer significant additional benefit compared to this standard treatment. The medications used will be phentermine and fluoxetine, a regimen based on literature suggesting the efficacy of a combination of stimulant and serotonergic agents in weight loss treatment, and on the demonstrated antidepressant efficacy of fluoxetine. Outcome variables will include frequency of binge eating, weight, and measures of overall psychological distress, including depressive symptoms. Treatment will take place over a period of five months, and patients will be followed for two years after treatment.
| Ojserkis, Rachel; Sysko, Robyn; Goldfein, Juli A et al. (2012) Does the overvaluation of shape and weight predict initial symptom severity or treatment outcome among patients with binge eating disorder? Int J Eat Disord 45:603-8 |
