Experiential aspects of bulimia nervosa. Implications for cognitive behavioral therapy.

Fifty female bulimic patients were asked to complete a questionnaire describing their experience during a binge-vomit episode. Findings indicated that starvation was a common precipitant of bingeing, as were situations such as being alone and eating something, and dysphoric feelings such as anxiety and frustration. Significant others, particularly the mother and the boyfriend or husband, might also precipitate a binge. Although many feelings increased or decreased in a linear fashion as the episode progressed, others such as depression and relief waxed and waned at different points in the episode. Implications of these findings for cognitive behavior therapy were discussed.