Guided Self-Help for Binge Eating Disorder
Condition: Binge Eating Disorder
MeSH terms: Bulimia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Binge-Eating Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The proposed study will employ a randomized design to evaluate the efficacy of two
      group-based guided self-help treatments: Integrative Response Therapy (IRT) and Cognitive
      Behavior Therapy Guided Self-Help, a treatment of known efficacy, in group-format (CBT-GSHg)
      in the treatment of Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and explore (1) moderators and mediators of
      treatment, (2) the relative cost-effectiveness of the two treatments, and (3) between group
      differences on secondary measures (e.g., eating disorder and general psychopathology).
    

Detailed description: 
      The focus of this proposal is on BED among an adult population. Guided self-help treatments
      (GSH) for BED appear promising and may be more readily disseminated than efficacious
      specialty treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal
      Psychotherapy (IPT) given the latter's administration costs and time requirements. The
      proposed study uses a new group-based, guided self-help BED treatment called Integrative
      Response Therapy (IRT). IRT is primarily based upon the affect regulation theory of binge
      eating (e.g., binge eating is an attempt to alter distressing emotional states), while adding
      cognitive restructuring techniques. IRT teaches effective ways to cope with aversive emotions
      and reframe faulty cognitions while reducing vulnerabilities that are likely to lead to
      problematic emotional responding & cognitions such as physical needs (e.g., hunger, sleep
      deprivation), interpersonal conflict, and, when possible, unpleasant external events. IRT's
      primary goal is to significantly decrease episodes of binge eating and associated eating
      disorder pathology.

      CBT-GSH is a frequently used manual-based form of GSH that has demonstrated efficacy. CBT,
      based on the restraint model, intervenes via behavioral techniques to replace restrained
      eating with more regular eating patterns and cognitive techniques to restructure an
      individual's problematic thoughts that over-evaluate shape and weight. Research literature
      indicates that CBT-GSH is a viable self-help BED treatment that appears to be superior to
      wait-list control conditions, equivalent to IPT, a specialty treatment, and superior to
      Behavioral Weight Loss treatment at 2-year follow-up. There are then, a number of reasons for
      further research on GSH in general and CBT-gsh specifically.

      The proposed study will lay the groundwork for identifying which GSH treatment should be
      investigated in a subsequent, larger trial that would evaluate a clinically relevant
      algorithm for the treatment of BED.
    

Intervention name(s): Integrative Response Therapy; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A 10 session manualized version of IRT is employed . Each of the 10 group therapy sessions will be 60 minutes in length. Non-specialty trained Masters-level therapists will lead IRT after undergoing IRT training with the PI.; A 10 session manualized version of CBT-GSH is employed . Each of the 10 group therapy sessions will be 60 minutes in length. Non-specialty trained Masters-level therapists will lead CBT-GSH after undergoing CBT-GSH training with the PI.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: eating disorder; binge eating