An empirically validated, short‐term psychoeducational group treatment program for bulimia

The present study examined the effectiveness of an empirically based, psychoeducational, group treatment program for bulimia. The seven‐week program focused primarily on decreasing depression, enhancing self‐esteem, increasing assertion and improving body image. In addition, women monitored their own bingeing and purging. Relative to no treatment controls (N = 7), women who received treatment (N = 11) showed significant improvements in their number of binges per month, self‐esteem, and depression. Also, the number of purges per month tended to decrease. Women in both groups showed significant improvements in body image. The treatment gains were maintained at a ten‐week follow‐up. These results suggest that a short‐term group treatment approach that focuses on personality and behavioral deficits as well as the maladaptive eating pattern is an effective treatment strategy for bulimia.