Treatment of bulimia with brief psychoeducational group therapy.

Two groups of 10 normal-weight bulimic women received short-term, structured group treatment beginning 3 weeks apart in a multiple baseline design. The multifaceted treatment approach incorporated education, self-monitoring, goal setting, assertion training, relaxation, and cognitive restructuring. Results showed an overall reduction of 70% in binge/purge episodes. There were significant improvements in psychological functioning, including self-esteem, depression, assertiveness, and pathological attitudes about eating.

Epidemiology of bulimia and bulimic behaviors.

A number of studies in recent years have attempted to establish prevalence rates for bulimia as defined by the DSM-III criteria and for bulimic behaviors such as binge eating, purging, and restrictive dieting. The literature has reported widely differing estimates of these behaviors. A critique of these studies suggests that a variety of methodological issues probably accounts for the lack of consistency across reports. A review of the literature indicates that some behaviors which could be considered bulimic are extremely widespread. Some recent work highlights the importance of using both behavioral and attitudinal variables in an assessment of clinically significant bulimia associated with life impairment, which is much less prevalent.

Need and responsiveness in the treatment of a severely traumatized patient: a relational perspective.

Severely traumatized patients may exhibit poor functioning and a great deal of dependence upon the therapist. The question is raised as to what such patients truly need from a therapist, and the concept of optimal responsiveness is described. These patients may display complex blends of deficits, resulting from inadequate structuralization, together with pathological internal representations. Their expressed needs in therapy may be true requirements and/or expressions of wishes to be compensated for past suffering and refusal to assume adult functioning. Discerning what might constitute optimal responsiveness to true needs may be further complicated by the propensity some of these patients have for dysfunctional and impulsive behavior. A case is presented that illustrates some of the difficulties in determining how to respond to intense expressions of need, including needs for constant availability of the therapist and for physical contact. It is concluded that although this patient did not need everything from the therapist that she initially thought that she did, her needs were so great that an outpatient treatment situation often seemed insufficient. Despite an overall positive outcome for the patient, the treatment experience was very difficult for the therapist.

Sexual abuse and eating disorders: a review.

Studies investigating a possible relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders have reported highly discrepant results. Some variability can be accounted for by methodological issues including diagnostic criteria, study design, and assessment techniques. The heterogeneity of an eating disordered population, especially regarding the comorbidity of eating pathology and personality disorder, is also a factor. Overall results suggest that around 30% of eating disordered patients have been sexually abused in childhood, a figure that is relatively comparable to rates found in normal populations. For some patients there may be a direct link between sexual trauma and eating pathology, but in general sexual abuse is best considered a risk factor in a biopsychosocial etiological model of eating disorders. Complex associations between trauma, self-regulatory deficits, and psychopathology require further research.

Symptomatology and anatomic patterns of peripheral vascular disease: differing impact of smoking and diabetes.

We retrospectively examined the impact of smoking and diabetes on the clinical presentation and arteriographic pattern of occlusion in 227 patients evaluated for symptomatic infrainguinal arterial disease. The age at which significant symptomatology developed did not differ for diabetics and nondiabetics. Diabetics had significantly more occlusion in the large arteries of the calf, however, particularly in the peroneal and posterior tibial arteries. Despite this, the extent of occlusive disease in the pedal arch was not influenced by diabetes. Diabetics also tended to present more frequently with gangrene or ulcer (greater than 70%) when compared to nondiabetic smokers (41%, p less than .01). Smokers presented with symptomatic disease earlier than nonsmokers (p less than .0005). Intermittent claudication was strongly associated with smoking; among 33 patients with claudication, 32 were smokers. In contrast to the effect of diabetes, smokers appeared to have less extensive occlusive disease in the large arteries of the calf than nonsmokers. Nondiabetic nonsmokers constituted less than 10% of our study population and presented at a significantly older age. Nevertheless, despite the absence of either risk factor, this group also tended to present with gangrene or ulcer relatively frequently (71%). Although diabetes and smoking are both risk factors for atherosclerotic disease, we conclude that their impact on the angiographic pattern of occlusion and clinical presentation differs substantially.