Outcomes of brief and enhanced cognitive-behavioral therapy for adults with non-underweight eating disorders : a non-randomized comparison

Objective Cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) is an efficacious and effective treatment for eating disorders, and is particularly valuable in the treatment of non‐underweight cases (e.g., bulimia nervosa; binge eating‐disorders). However, its recommended length for such cases (up to 20 sessions) makes it a relatively costly therapy. It has been suggested that a 10‐session version (CBT‐T) can also be effective, but there has been no direct comparison between the two forms (10 vs. 20 sessions).

Method This study reports the outcomes of brief and standard‐length CBT for non‐underweight eating disorders, comparing two cohorts of patients from the same clinic (N = 55 and 138, respectively).

Results The two therapies had very similar results in terms of eating pathology, remission rate, and improved quality of life. Each showed substantial change by the mid‐point of therapy and up to 6‐month follow‐up.

Conclusion It appears that brief CBT (CBT‐T) is as effective as existing 20‐session CBT, and is less demanding of time and resource. The findings need to be replicated in a randomized control trial before this conclusion can be made definitive.