Bulimia Nervosa

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa is made in people who are involved in recurrent binge-eating episodes and who have a morbid fear of becoming fat and try to get rid of the unwanted calories they voraciously ingest. It also discusses how bulimia has been observed to become more and more prevalent among young women, especially on college campuses, although clinically significant bulimia seems to be rare. The paper then looks at various methods of treatment.

Outline:
Introduction
Bulimia Nervosa
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Incidence
Treatments Methods
Therapeutic Treatment
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
Medication
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Antidepressant Drugs Influencing Monoamine Systems
Anxiolytics
Mood Stabilizers
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"Desipramine is found to be more effective than placebo in reducing binge-eating and purging behavior, independent of depressive symptoms, in dosages ranging from 100 to 350 mg/day administered over 6-32 weeks. However, in 1 study, the majority of responders had relapsed at 6-month follow up. Although desipramine was better tolerated than imipramine, cardiovascular side effects were quite frequent. Desipramine seemed to be most effective at reducing core bulimic symptoms and associated affective symptoms when combined with psychotherapy. (Valbak, 2001) Amitriptyline was also evaluated in the treatment of bulimia nervosa at a dosage of 150 mg/day; the drug was not found to be superior to placebo. These results should be interpreted with caution, however, because the dose was low, the trial duration was only 8 weeks and behavioral therapy was performed concurrently. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Agras, W.S. (2003). Commentary. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 33, 255-256.
• Agras, W.S., Walsh, B.T., Fairburn, C.G., Wilson, G.T., & Kraemer, H.C. (2000). A multicenter comparison of cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 459-466.
• Andersen, A.E. (2002). Eating disorders in males. In C.G. Fairburn & K.D. Brownell (Eds.), Eating disorders and obesity: A comprehensive handbook (2nd ed., pp. 188-192). New York: Guilford Press.
• Anderson, D.A., & Maloney, K.C. (2001). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the core symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 971-988.
• Fairburn, C.G. (1997). Eating disorders. In D.M. Clark & C.G. Fairburn (Eds.), Science and practice of cognitive behavior therapy (pp. 209-241). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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