ABSTRACT
This Was A Relatively Short-Term treatment (nine months). Carol entered treatment suffering from a major depressive episode and binge eating disorder. Carol's depression quickly remitted with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. The chronic binge eating problem was a major therapeutic focus with this highly motivated patient. She demonstrated a high need for symptom-focused interventions and found them very usable. Carol's symptoms conformed to the addictive pathway in which fragmentation is warded off by the patient's engaging in some active mood-changing behavior. As she developed greater affect tolerance and sought more selfobject experiences in the relational world, her need for food as her primary selfobject diminished. Carol permitted me to audiotape sessions, so I can present some verbatim exchanges here.
