Describe the typical treatment goals and treatment methods implemented for patients suffering from bulimia nervosa.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Sample Answer: Short-term cognitive-behavioral treatments target problem eating behavior and associated attitudes about the overriding importance and significance of body weight and shape, and these strategies have become the treatment of choice for bulimia nervosa. In the cognitive-behavioral treatment approach, the first stage is teaching the patient the physical consequences of binge eating and purging, as well as the ineffectiveness of vomiting and laxative abuse for weight control. The adverse effects of dieting are also described, and patients are scheduled to eat small, manageable amounts of food five or six times per day with no more than a three-hour interval between any planned meals and snacks, which eliminates the alternating periods of overeating and dietary restriction that are hallmarks of bulimia nervosa. In later stages of treatment, cognitive therapy focuses on altering dysfunctional thoughts and attitudes about body shape, weight, and eating. Coping strategies for resisting the impulse to binge and purge are also developed, including arranging activities so that the individual will not spend time alone after eating during the early stages of treatment. Evaluations of short-term (approximately three months) cognitive-behavioral treatments for bulimia nervosa have been good, showing superior efficacy to credible alternative psychological treatments not only for bingeing and purging but also for distorted attitudes and accompanying depression. Furthermore, these results seem to last.