The treatment of bulimia nervosa

Abstract

Bulimia nervosa is a significant source of morbidity amongst young women. There has been a considerable body of work on its treatment since it was first described in 1979. Three treatments have shown particular promise: antidepressant drug treatment, cognitive behaviour therapy and exposure with response prevention. The research findings indicate that the approach of choice is cognitive behaviour therapy, with most patients benefiting significantly and the changes being well maintained. However, cognitive behaviour therapy is neither necessary nor sufficient for all patients with bulimia nervosa: some benefit from simpler interventions whilst others fail to respond. At present, too little is known about the factors that predict response to particular forms of treatment to allow the matching of patients with treatments.