Objective The purpose of this study was to compare three group cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment models and a waiting list control condition (WL). Method: Sixty‐one women who met DSM‐IV criteria for binge eating disorder (BED) received treatment with the same cognitive‐behavioral treatment manual in 14 one‐hour sessions over an 8‐week period. All sessions consisted of psychoeducation for the first 30 min and group discussion for the second half hour. In the therapist‐led condition (TL; n = 16), a doctoral therapist led both the psychoeducational component and group discussion. In the partial self‐help condition (PSH; n = 19), participants viewed a 30‐min psychoeducational videotape, followed by participation in a therapist‐led discussion. In the structured self‐help condition (SH; n = 15), subjects viewed the 30‐min psychoeducational videotape and subsequently led their own 30‐min discussion. Eleven subjects were assigned to a wait‐list control condition (WL). The primary outcome variables were frequency and duration of self‐reported binge eating episodes. Results: A mixed effects linear modeling (random regression) analysis indicated that subjects in all three active treatment conditions showed a decrease in binge eating symptoms over time. No group differences in rates of change over time were observed, although analysis of covariance indicated that all three treatment conditions showed significantly greater improvement in binge eating compared to the WL condition. Discussion: The findings from this preliminary study suggest that CBT for BED can be delivered effectively in a structured group self‐help format. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 24: 125–136, 1998.

Binge eating disorder (BED) identified in adulthood is often clinically associated with obesity and a lifetime history of affective disorders. Several authors have suggested that dieting may predispose individuals to binge eating which then may lead to obesity. However, few BED studies have examined the chronology of the onset of binge eating, dieting, obesity, and mood disorders. This study evaluated retrospective reports from 30 women participating in a BED treatment study. Although the majority of subjects in this adult sample were obese, initiation of binge eating behavior usually occurred during adolescence at a time when most subjects reported being of normal weight. Obesity developed several years after the age of onset of meeting BED criteria. Onset of binge eating usually predated that of dieting or major depressive disorder in the majority of subjects. The results support the importance of early intervention for binge eating. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the primary methods used by psychotherapists in treating individuals with eating disorders and to determine the extent to which certain empirically supported psychotherapies (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] and interpersonal psychotherapy [IPT]) are used in clinical settings. Method Surveys developed for this study were sent to 500 psychologists randomly selected from a list of all licensed doctoral‐level psychologists in an upper midwestern state. Results Despite the findings that CBT techniques were reported to be frequently used, most respondents identified something other than CBT or IPT as their primary theoretical approach. In addition, the majority of repondents indicated not having received training in the use of manual‐based, empirically supported treatment approaches for working with individuals with eating disorders, although most reported a desire to obtain such training. Conclusions Although commonly referred to as the “treatments of choice” in research literature, manual‐based, empirically supported approaches to working with individuals with eating disorders has not received adequate dissemination. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 27: 230–237, 2000.