ABSTRACT

Bulimia nervosa (BN) has been the focus of aggressive research efforts since Russell's (1979) paper describing bulimia nervosa. The striking convergence of several descriptive accounts of bulimia nervosa that soon followed from several countries stimulated research on this problem (Abraham & Beumont, 1982; Fairburn & Cooper, 1982; Pyle et al., 1981). In the two decades that followed, considerable progress has been achieved. As noted in chapter 2, there remains uncertainty about the exact nature of the distribution of BN and very little is known about its etiology or development. Thus, additional research is necessary to inform how to proceed with prevention or early intervention programs. In contrast, progress has been made in understanding factors that serve to maintain the disorder. This, in turn, has resulted in considerable progress in establishing the utility of certain treatments. Text Box 4.1 gives some clinical examples of bulimia nervosa. The chapter then continues with an overview of the major assessment issues relevant to BN followed by a summary of the major research ®ndings about treatments.