Comparison of individual and group cognitive behavioral therapy for binge eating disorder. A randomized, three-year follow-up study

Few long-term follow-up studies evaluated the response to psychotherapeutic interventions in binge eating disorder (BED). The effectiveness of individual and group cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the possible predictors of outcome were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. At the beginning, at the end of treatments, and three years after the end of treatments, 144 patients affected by threshold or subthreshold BED were assessed using a clinical interview and self-reported questionnaires evaluating the eating attitudes and behavior, emotional eating, and general psychopathology. The following outcome measures were considered: recovery at 3-year follow-up, weight loss, treatment resistance, relapse, and diagnostic change. Both treatments showed similar response in terms of all outcome measures in the long-term, and determined a significant reduction of binge eating frequency, and a mild reduction of weight. The absence of a history of amphetamine derivatives consumption, lower emotional eating and binge eating severity at baseline were predictors of full recovery in the long-term. A low Emotional eating was found to be the only predictor of weight reduction. Overweight during childhood, full blown BED diagnosis, and high emotional eating were predictors of treatment resistance. Treatments considering the relationships between binge eating and emotional eating could improve the outcome of BED patients.