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Compassion-Focused Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa and Bulimic Presentations: A Preliminary Case Series

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2017

Marc O. Williams ,
Zoe Tsivos ,
Sarah Brown ,
Nicola S. Whitelock  and
Magdalene Sampson
Marc O. Williams*
Affiliation:
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK
Zoe Tsivos
Affiliation:
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
Sarah Brown
Affiliation:
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
Nicola S. Whitelock
Affiliation:
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
Magdalene Sampson
Affiliation:
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Marc O. Williams, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objectives: Validated treatments for adults with bulimia nervosa (BN) and related presentations are scarce, and the current most evidenced treatment — cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders — is resource intensive and has suboptimal remission rates; there is, therefore, a need to evaluate the effectiveness of other approaches for treating such conditions in routine NHS services. Design: Data from nine patients in an NHS eating disorder service who received compassion-focused therapy (CFT) for BN or bulimic presentations were analysed retrospectively. Methods: Patients routinely completed a validated scale of eating disorder severity (the EDE-Q) at baseline and end of treatment. Results: All five scales of the EDE-Q showed a mean significant reduction (N = 9), indicating a significant reduction in eating disorder symptomatology, and individual analyses showed clinically reliable reduction in seven out of nine patients’ EDE-Q scores. Conclusions: This is the first article to report a case series of patients who benefitted significantly from receiving CFT for their eating disorder. Limitations of this study are considered along with future directions for research into effective treatments for eating disorders.

Keywords

bulimia nervosaOSFEDcompassion-focused therapycase series
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , September 2017 , pp. 199 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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