The Effectiveness of Online Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy on Bulimia Nervosa

The Effectiveness of Online Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy on Bulimia Nervosa: An Randomized-Controlled-Trial Study

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is a kind of chronic refractory mental disorder with high prevalence and relapse rate, which would cause serious damage to physical and mental health. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an internationally effective and evidence-based therapy for BN patients. Previous studies have found that DBT group therapy can significantly improve the core symptoms of BN patients. Our research group has conducted DBT group therapy for BN, and found that after 12 weeks of treatment, the frequencies of binge eating and purging behavior of BN patients were significantly reduced. However, with the high cost of ground-based group therapy and low coverage, it is difficult to promote the G-DBT(Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) for BN, considering the shortage of mental health resource in China. Besides, videoconferencing-based psychotherapy has gradually emerged in recent years. However, there is still a lack of clinical studies on the videoconferencing-based G-DBT for BN at home and abroad to confirm its efficacy and feasibility. Therefore, this study intends to use a randomized controlled study by randomly allocating BN patients into videoconferencing-based G-DBT group and traditional G-DBT group for 12 weeks. By comparing the changes of core symptoms and psychological characteristics of BN patients before and after treatment, this study aims to illustrate the efficacy and feasibility of videoconferencing-based G-DBT is no less than traditional G-DBT.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female, 18-35 years old, right-handed;
• Education level is junior high school or above;
• Meet the Diagnostic criteria of Bulimia Nervosa in DSM-5 (The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders，DSM), body mass index (BMI)≥18.5 kg/m2;
• Did not receive systematic nutritional therapy, psychiatric drug therapy or any form of psychological therapy within 1 month before enrollment;
• Able to understand the study and agree to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those who meet other DSM-5 diagnoses besides BN, such as substance abuse/dependence, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. And those with high risk of suicide, strong disruptive impulse or antisocial behavior.
• Patients with serious primary or secondary physical disease, cognitive impairment, so that they can not complete the required assessment.
• Have received systematic nutritional therapy, individual and group psychotherapy previously.
• Have taken neuroblockers, antidepressants, lithium salts, stimulants, antiepileptic drugs and other psychotropic drugs within the past 1 month.
• For other reasons that researchers consider it inappropriate to participate in this clinical trial.