Specificity of psychological treatments for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder? A meta-analysis of direct comparisons

► 53 studies with 77 direct comparisons were included in the meta-analysis. ► Bona fide CBT outperformed bona fide non-CBT; internal validity was questionable. ► Full CBT packages performed no better than their components. ► Various CBT treatments yielded roughly equivalent effects. ► There was little evidence for treatment specificity in psychotherapies for BN or BED.