Premium
Time course of symptom remission in eating disorders
Author(s) -
Clausen Loa
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20043
Subject(s) - psychology , anorexia , eating disorders , anorexia nervosa , psychiatry , bulimia nervosa , clinical psychology , medicine
Objective The study was carried out to test whether time to remission varies for different eating disorder symptoms. Method Sixty‐five patients (35 anorexic patients and 30 bulimic patients) treated with psychotherapy were interviewed 2½ years after initial assessment. Results The anorexic physical symptoms remitted before the psychological symptoms of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, as did the bulimic behaviors: binging and purging. Nonpurging compensatory behavior and obsession with weight and shape were the last symptoms to remit. Differences between the anorexic and bulimic groups were found between the remission order of psychological symptoms. Discussion In spite of different treatments and symptoms between patients, the results support the notion of a common pattern in the process of change including a long and stepwise course. The results detail a template of the course to recovery for eating disorders. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 36: 296–306, 2004.