Therapeutic Writing and Bulimia Treatment

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binge eating and purging. Binge eating is defined as eating excessive calories in a relatively short amount of time, while purging follows by using vomiting or laxatives to prevent the food from causing any weight gain.

Bulimia is treated with a combination of physical therapy and mental healing. Bulimic individuals are coached in not only addressing the disordered eating behaviors, but also the possible underlying mental health issues that may need to be addressed. A new study examined the possible benefits of using therapeutic writing as a treatment for eating disorders.

The study, led by Olwyn Johnton, PhD, was conducted through King’s College in London. It studied the effects of a writing task designed to reduce emotional avoidance on the symptoms of bulimia.

The researchers recruited 80 participants, each reporting symptoms of bulimia. Each participant completed a therapeutic or a control writing assignment, sent in by email to the researchers.

The participants were asked to report on bulimic symptoms, mood and potential moderating and mediating factors. The researchers followed up with the participants at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks after the writing task was completed. The writing content of the task was evaluated using a word count package and qualitative framework analysis.

The results of the study found that some individuals in both groups experienced an improvement in bulimia symptoms after completing the writing assignment. However, the number of participants who improved was equal to the number of individuals who did not improve by doing the writing assignment.

The symptom improvements reported were associated with increases in perceived mood regulation abilities, and decreases in negative beliefs about emotions. The participants reported that they preferred to interact through the internet with the researchers rather than in a face-to-face interview.

The results of the study indicated that there may be question as to whether therapeutic writing is beneficial for bulimics to reduce their symptoms. Because the same number of participants in both groups reported improvements, it may be that the therapeutic writing had no particular effect.

Future research may be necessary to understand the role that writing can play in helping bulimic individuals reduce their symptoms. It is possible that several types of writing are helpful to those with bulimia, while other patients may need to be targeted with a different type of therapy.
 

Tags: treatment