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Ten-Year Follow-Up of 50 Patients with Bulimia Nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Sunny Collings  and
Michael King
Sunny Collings
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Wellington Hospital, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand
Michael King*
Affiliation:
Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Long-term outcome studies for people suffering from bulimia nervosa are few. Ten years after presentation, we followed up 50 patients (49 women, 1 man) who were originally involved in a double-blind, controlled trial of the antidepressant mianserin. Standardised interviews and questionnaires were used to assess eating attitudes and behaviour, psychiatric status and social functioning. A DSM–III–R diagnosis was given where appropriate. Sufficient information to make a diagnosis was obtained for 44 subjects (88%). Of patients traced, 52% had recovered fully and only 9% continued to suffer the full syndrome; 39% continued to experience some symptoms. Significant predictors of favourable outcome were younger age at onset, higher social class and a family history of alcohol abuse. Outcome for bulimia nervosa continues to improve over ten years with the majority of patients eventually making a full recovery or suffering only moderate abnormalities in eating attitudes. Although predictors of recovery were few, it would appear that intervention has a significant impact on ultimate outcome.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 164 , Issue 1 , January 1994 , pp. 80 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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