Early response to treatment in adolescent bulimia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine if early response predicted remission at the end of a controlled trial.


METHODS
Eighty adolescents with bulimia nervosa participated in an RCT comparing family-based treatment and individual supportive psychotherapy. Response to treatment was assessed via self-report of bingeing and purging. Remission was defined as abstinence from bingeing and purging for the last 28 days and measured by investigator-based interview, that is, the Eating Disorder Examination.


RESULTS
Receiver-operating characteristic analyses showed that, regardless of treatment, symptom reduction at session six predicted remission at posttreatment (AUC = 0.814 (p < .001)) and 6-month follow-up (AUC = 0.811 (p < .001)).


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that adolescents with BN who do not show early reductions in bulimic symptoms are unlikely to remit at posttreatment or follow-up.
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. legrange@uchicago.edu
Daniel
D
le Grange
Peter
P
Doyle
Ross D
RD
Crosby
Eunice
E
Chen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012372:ROC Curve; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult