This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Golan, M. Articles by Enten, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Treating Bulimia Nervosa With a Stratified-Care Approach

Shahaf, Community Facilities for Eating Disorders, Israel, School of Nutritional Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel, moriag{at}netvision.net.il

Noa Heyman, MSc

Shahaf, Community Facilities for Eating Disorders, Israel, School of Nutritional Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel

Roni Enten, MSc

Shahaf, Community Facilities for Eating Disorders, Israel

This study examines the long-term outcome of a stratified-care regimen for patients with bulimia nervosa. Each patient admitted to the program is stratified by severity of illness, comorbidity, and level of functioning in the community and offered a personalized program from 2 to 16 hours per week. Of 398 candidates for treatment in the community-based eating disorder treatment facilities, 257 were admitted and 141 were interviewed and served as controls. Symptoms and global outcome were assessed using the 17-item Outcome Scale devised by Eckert et al. Of the admitted patients, 24% dropped out after less than 2 months, 91% of those treated for at least 2 months achieved improvement of symptoms and general functioning, 62% were fully recovered, 22% were nearly recovered, 7% were symptomatic but less than at baseline, and 9% experienced no remission. At the 5-year follow-up from termination, 77% of treated patients were fully recovered, 3% were nearly recovered, 16% felt remission but still were symptomatic, and 4% were in poor condition. The above services address the needs of patients based on course of illness and level of functioning, allowing them to stay in the community and avoid hospitalization while discouraging enrollment in unsuccessful therapy and minimalist programs.

Key Words: bulimia nervosa • eating disorder • treatment

ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition, Vol. 1, No. 1, 45-53 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1941406408328537


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?