Efficacy of a Group Psychoeducation Treatment in Binge Eating Disorder: An Open-Label Study.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary group psychoeducation treatment (GPT) in patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED).
Methods: We designed an open-label efficacy study that included a population of 45 patients diagnosed with BED. A measure of eating attitudes and associated psychological constructs was obtained through the use of the self-report instruments Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3), Binge Eating Scale (BES) and Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) was also administered to assess general psychopathology. All participants participated in 12 weekly group psychoeducational treatment meetings, 8 of which were conducted by mental health professionals, and a second module of 4 meetings, oriented on health and nutrition education topics, conducted by a dietician.
Results: At the end of treatment, patients showed significant improvements in body mass index (BMI) and binge eating. Paired t -tests showed significant differences at p -value < 0.05 in all eating disorder risk scales and for most of the general psychological scales related to eating disorders. In addition, patients experienced an improvement in their perception of overall body image, a decrease in concerns about physical appearance and less body image avoidance. Finally, results showed that psychoeducation treatment was associated with significant improvements in interpersonal sensitivity.
Conclusions: The results of this study may indicate that significant short-term improvements can be achieved through a psychoeducation group for BED patients. Although limited by the lack of a control condition, this study adds to a growing body of evidence with promising results, setting the stage for further case-control studies of BED treatment.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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