New guidelines for treating eating disorders were published in January in The American Journal of Psychiatry. These emphasize the need for treating patients as early as possible, as intensively as necessary, for as long as needed. Sometimes, the symptoms of anorexia won't completely disappear until years after treatment has begun. Strober has reported that nearly three-fourths of the patients he has followed remain fully recovered 10 to 15 years after they first checked into the hospital, and that relapse in this group is uncommon. This success rate is higher than in some other studies, a finding he attributes to the aggressive treatment the women in his program receive.
Researchers know less about the long-term outlook for people with bulimia.
This is partly because the condition wasn't identified until 1979, so there has been less time to follow patients, said Dr. Scott Crow of the University of Minnesota . Bulimia also doesn't appear to carry the high death rate associated with anorexia. Long-term studies also could help identify patients who will have the most difficult time recovering, and who may need greater help overcoming a fear of eating and gaining weight. For example, in the 21-year German study, published in February in the journal The Lancet, women were less likely to recover the longer they had suffered from the disorder without treatment. Other studies also have suggested that the longer the illness lasts or the less a person weighs before checking into a hospital the more difficult the recovery.