Internet-Based Study for Bulimia Therapy

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is leading a clinical trial to compare Web-assisted therapy and face-to-face group therapy for bulimia nervosa.

Principal investigator Cynthia M. Bulik of the UNC Eating Disorders Program said that for individuals with bulimia nervosa — an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging behaviors — face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy has been considered the gold standard of treatment.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina, the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are taking part in the research.

Bulik said group therapy provides additional benefits compared to individual therapy for some people, such as gaining from the understanding and experience of other group members. Group therapy also costs less than individual therapy and produces similar outcomes.

However, those who live in remote rural areas, may not have access to therapists.

“As a way to overcome these challenges, we’ve developed a Web site that will deliver the same content as traditional, manual-based cognitive behavioral therapy, but it will take advantage of all the bells and whistles — such as sound, animation and video — that make the best Web sites so compelling,” Bulik said in a statement.