A new study shows that patients, aged 12-19 years, suffering from bulimia respond better to family-based treatment than to supportive psychotherapy.
Bulimia is a psychological condition in which the person engages in recurrent binge eating followed by intentional purging. Bulimia has a prevalence of 1to 2 percent in among adults. [what about adolescents 12 -19 years, as in this study? ] [Redundant]
Family-based treatment involves the parents but does not address potential underlying causes of bulimia. It tries to focus on the behavior of the patients, whereas supportive psychotherapy traditionally will not offer advice ( but tries to find underlying emotional issues which could be at the root of the disorder).
Nearly 40% (16 total) of the patients receiving the family-based treatment abstained from binge eating immediately after treatment ended. Just 18% of the patients receiving supportive psychotherapy abstained. And fewer patients were abstinent at the six-month follow-up (29% versus 10%).
Family-based treatment is promising. It is not yet clear whether the positive results come from the family involvement or from the focus on eating behavior.
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