A Promising Intervention for Binge Eating

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An intervention using dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to treat binge eating among female adolescents and young adults has shown promising results and also was well received by the participants in a recent study. As reported at the International Conference on Eating Disorders in Boston, 58 teens and young women 13 to 22 years of age were randomized into a DBT-based intervention group (LIBER8; n=34) or to a control group offering weight management (n=24). All participants completed three assessments of their eating behaviors: once at baseline, then immediately after the intervention, and again at a 3-month follow-up. Participants and therapists also completed “session satisfaction” and “therapist feasibility” surveys after each session. As Suzanne Mazzeo, PhD, FAED, of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, and her colleagues reported, 99% of the LIBER8 group and 84% of the weight management group were comfortable with their group leaders and other participants, and 81% were very satisfied with the sessions overall. Significant reductions in objective and subjective binge episodes were noted in both groups. However, according to the authors, the DBT intervention led to greater satisfaction among the participants and more marked reductions in loss-of-control eating episodes.