A single-arm pilot study of guided self-help treatment based cognitive behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa in Japanese clinical settings

• Published in: BMC research notes 2018-04, Vol.11 (1), p.257-257, Article 257
• Main Authors: Setsu, R, Asano, K, Numata, N, Tanaka, M, Ibuki, H, Yamamoto, T, Uragami, R, Matsumoto, J, Hirano, Y, Iyo, M, Shimizu, E, Nakazato, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstinence; Anxiety; Behavior modification; Bulimia; Bulimia nervosa; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Cognitive ability; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Eating disorders; Guided self-help treatments based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-GSH); Intervention; Interviews; Laxatives; Patients; Psychiatrists; Questionnaires; Remission (Medicine); Research Note; Self help; Therapists; Therapy
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3373-y

Guided self-help treatments based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-GSH) are regarded as a first-line effective treatment for bulimia nervosa (BN). With limited application for CBT-GSH in Japanese clinical settings, we conducted a single arm pilot study in order to confirm the acceptability and availability of CBT-GSH in Japan. 25 women with BN received 16-20 sessions of face-to-face CBT-GSH. Primary outcomes were the completion rate of intervention and abstinence rates from objective bingeing and purging as assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination. Secondary outcomes were other self-report measurements of the frequency of bingeing and purging, and characteristic psychopathologies of eating disorders. Assessments were conducted before CBT as baseline as well as after CBT. 92% (23/25) of the participants completed the CBT sessions. After CBT-GSH, 40% (10/25) of the participants (intention-to-treat) achieved symptom abstinence. The mean binge and purge episodes during the previous 28 days improved from 21.88 to 10.96 (50% reduction) and from 22.44 to 10.88 (52% reduction), each (before CBT-GSH to after CBT-GSH), and the within-group effect sizes were medium (Cohen's d = 0.67, 0.65, each). Our study provided a preliminary evidence about the feasibility of CBT-GSH in Japanese clinical settings for the future. Trial registration This study was registered retrospectively in the national UMIN Clinical Trials Registry on July 10, 2013 (registration ID: UMIN000011120).