Six-year course of bulimia nervosa

✍ Scribed by Fichter, Manfred M. ;Quadflieg, Norbert

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 240 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199712)22:4<361::aid-eat2>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

Objective: Because little is known about the longer-term course of bulimia nervosa, the 2-and 6-year course and outcome of 196 consecutively treated females with bulimia nervosa-purging type (BN-P) was assessed. Method: One hundred ninety-six females with BN-P were assessed longitudinally at four points of time: at the beginning of therapy, at the end of therapy, at 2-year follow-up, and at 6-year follow-up. Self-rating scales as well as expert ratings from interview data were used. Eating disorder specific and general psychopathology was assessed. Results: The general pattern of results over time showed substantial improvement during therapy, a slight (in most cases nonsignificant) decline during the first 2 years after treatment, and further improvement and stabilization from 3 to 6 years posttreatment. At 6-year follow-up, 20.9% had BN-P, 0.5% BN-nonpurging type (BN-NP), 1.1% had shifted from BN to binge-eating disorder, 3.7% had anorexia nervosa, 1.6% were classified as eating disorder not otherwise specified (ED-NOS), and 2 patients had died; obesity with a body mass index (BMI) of >30 was seen in 6.0%; the majority (71.1%) showed no major DSM-IV eating disorder. Conclusions: Based on a composite global outcome score at 6 years follow-up, 59.9% achieved a good outcome, 29.4% an intermediate outcome, 9.6% a poor outcome, and 2 (1.1%) persons were deceased. Course and outcome were generally more favorable than in anorexia nervosa.