Elsevier

Behavior Therapy

Volume 30, Issue 1, Winter 1999, Pages 117-135
Behavior Therapy

Original Research
Bulimia nervosa: A meta-analysis of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments*

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(99)80049-5Get rights and content

Nine double-blind, placebo-controlled medication trials (870 subjects) and 26 randomized psychosocial studies (460 subjects) were included in a meta-analysis of bulimia nervosa (BN). Four treatment outcomes were analyzed: binge and purge frequency, depression (self-reported and interviewer-rated), and self-reported eating attitudes. When compared to medication, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) studies produced significantly larger-weighted effect sizes for all treatment outcomes. These quantitative results correspond to qualitative reviews and suggest that CBT is the treatment of choice for BN.

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    *

    This article was originally accepted under the editorship of Frank Andrasik, Ph.D.

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