September 16, 2008
Internet-Based Study Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Bulimia
Faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh are planning a clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy, delivered through a Web site and augmented with therapist-moderated, weekly online chat sessions, to face-to-face group therapy for the treatment of bulimia nervosa.
Face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been considered the standard of treatment for bulimia nervosa however, according to the authors, CBT is not available for many who need treatment. A way to overcome the challenges of accessability is to deliver the same content "as traditional, manual-based cognitive behavioral therapy, but it will take advantage of all the bells and whistles - such as sound, animation and video - that make the best Web sites so compelling."
The current plan is to recriut 180 people with bulimia nervosa to take part in the study. Half will be randomized to receive CBT with weekly face-to-face group therapy sessions over a 20-week period. The other half will receive Web-based CBT with weekly online group therapy chat sessions.
The goal of this study is to evaluate if Web-based CBT is as effective as CBT delivered in an in-person format, with the hope of providing CBT to individuals who currently are unable to obtain specialty care for this disorder.
Sources:
UNC Press Release
Lead Investigators on the study:
Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marsha D. Marcus, Ph.D
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine