A summative evaluation of treatment for bulimia nervosa at the Prince George eating disorder clinic

This project evaluated the effectiveness of the Prince George Eating Disorder Clinic and the multidisciplinary components of the clinic (individual counseling, nutritional counseling, medical visits, group counseling and family counseling). Seventeen participants who either met the DSM-IV-R criteria for bulimia nervosa or were diagnosed with an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) with binge/purge behavior completed a client questionnaire and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Clients completed the questionnaires after finishing treatment or a majority of their treatment. A clinical staff member who had the most contact with the participant completed a questionnaire about the participant's treatment. Depending on the frequency of bulimic symptoms after completing treatment, participants' were classified as having good, intermediate, or poor outcomes. Results showed that 35.3% had good outcome, 23 .5% intermediate outcome, and 41.2% had poor outcome after completing mean of 14.9 months of treatment. The poor outcome group had a mean rating of 4.5 and the good outcome group had a mean rating of 4.3. Both the poor and good outcome groups rated the clinic highly on effectiveness, based on a scale of 1 (unsuccessful) and 6 (very successful). The intermediate outcome group had a mean rating of3 .3. Participants may not judge the success of their treatment according to decreases in binge/purge behaviors. The participants rated components of their treatment (individual counseling, nutritional counseling, physical examinations, group counseling, and family counseling) favorably. Recommendations for changes to the clinic include: ensuring follow-up sessions, making resources more available, and enhancing aspects of the program that clients already find helpful.