ABSTRACT
The two eating disorders bulimia and anorexia nervosa are addressed in this chapter. In bulimia, low mood may arise from binge eating and the sense of failure that this entails. In anorexia, low mood may arise from a failure to live up to perfectionist standards. An account is given of the assessment of eating disorders along with detailed guidelines for the evidence-based treatment of bulimia with cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). Two biomedical interventions are also mentioned: inpatient weight restoration programmes for emaciated clients with anorexia and the use of antidepressants in the treatment of bulimia. In the classification of eating disorders in both DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10, this distinction between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is a central organizing principle, with the former being characterized primarily by weight loss and the latter by a cyclical pattern of bingeing and purging.
