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A new study has revealed that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can significantly help patients overcome bulimia and binge eating disorder.
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Although the cycle of bulimia nervosa (BN) often begins slowly, a new study hopes to find a way to identify how to best treat the disease in adolescents before it spins out of control.
Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine and the University of Chicago are conducting the largest-ever randomized controlled trial of bulimia treatments for adolescents, comparing three current outpatient treatment models—cognitive behavioral therapy, family-based therapy, and individual psychotherapy—to determine which is most effective in treating adolescents.
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By Colin Gilbert
Among the many types of treatment available to individuals suffering from eating disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) stands out as especially effective. Because it targets the complex relationships between thoughts, feelings, and actions, CBT efficiently gets to the root of bulimia, anorexia, and other disorders where a person’s distorted self-image leads them to adopt unhealthy eating habits.
With most eating disorders, a warped perception of self is responsible for harmful eating habits. As a result of societal pressure or interpersonal abuse, a person may obsess over her weight and feel overweight even when she is not. Or, an overweight individual may erroneously associate food with comfort and safety. Feelings of fear, guilt, and despair often accompany the overwhelming preoccupation with eating or not eating, and the thoughts can lead to various types of damaging behavior.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is based on the idea that thoughts and actions are inexorably tied. Every person develops habits of thought that are the product of genetic disposition, environmental stimuli, and personal choices. In turn, those cognitive habits lead to specific kinds of behavior which can sometimes be self-destructive.
The aim of CBT is to identify and repair unhealthy patterns of thought, and consequently break the cycle of destructive behavior. For those who feel powerless in stopping the harm done by their sickness, CBT offers the encouraging idea that each individual has the power and potential to initiate his or her own healing.
According to University of Chicago’s Department of Psychiatry, cognitive behavioral therapy is ideal for treating bulimia nervosa and is also recommended in cases of anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other eating disorders. The university’s research suggests that CBT adds to the benefits of medication and other forms of psychotherapy.
Patients receiving CBT are typically asked to keep a journal of food consumption as well as a record of cravings, aversions, binging and purging episodes, and the feelings that accompany the behaviors. Planned meals help build healthy eating habits and appropriate attitudes toward diet and nutrition.
CBT sessions for eating disorders are typically an hour long and can be either private or group-based. Meetings are usually scheduled weekly or every two weeks and may last for one to six months. While CBT is often successful in managing eating disorders, it is not necessarily a permanent cure, and continued discipline on the part of the patient is required for long-term health.
Battling an eating disorder can be a terrifying and lonely experience, but help is available to those seeking it. Anyone interested in pursuing cognitive behavioral therapy for an eating disorder should contact his or her general practitioner for advice on finding local help. Links are also available through www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
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Eating disorders – which are serious, potential life-threatening diseases that develop due to poor body confidence, genetics and the desire to maintain control over the weight of a person’s body – afflicts over 10% of the American population, with many of the sufferers female. However, while many women may not develop full-blown eating disorders, new research has indicated that 65% of women struggle with their body image issues, with many women even going so far as to fast or starve themselves in an effort to lose weight. (more…)
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Eating disorders are one of the most common diseases to afflict America’s youth – and it’s not just teens who are suffering from this debilitating disease. More adults than ever (including those who are 50+) are starting to show symptoms commonly associated with anorexia and bulimia. Experts pinpoint this new phenomenon as a result of the media’s constant bombardment of stick-thin models, as well as the harried lifestyles that we lead in this modern time. Between darting to and from the office, picking up the kids from school and maintaining a happy household, many adults are stuck wondering if they’ll ever be able to have time to eat again.
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