Osnabrück University is investigating which therapy components are perceived as particularly helpful by those affected. They are looking for people who identify with the female sex, who have been diagnosed with bulimia in the past, who have undergone psychotherapeutic treatment and who are currently recovering or showing a significant improvement in symptoms.
Bulimia is a mental illness that can be associated with great suffering. It manifests itself in recurring binge eating episodes that are experienced as uncontrollable. For fear of gaining weight, sufferers then try to compensate for the calories in various ways, for example by vomiting, fasting, taking laxatives or exercising intensively. Accordingly, one component of treatment focuses on normalizing eating behaviour, reducing compensatory behaviours and changing the way cravings are dealt with.
Eating disorders are among the mental illnesses with the most serious physical and psychosocial consequences. Those affected suffer from a variety of organic secondary diseases, such as cardiac arrhythmia, cycle disorders or kidney dysfunction. Those affected also report a range of consequences in social, educational and professional areas. This is reflected, for example, in a massive deterioration in the quality and number of social contacts.
"These potentially life-threatening consequences show how important effective treatment is," explains Friederike Flechsig from Osnabrück University. Although psychotherapy is considered a central component of treatment, there are still challenges in terms of long-term treatment success. Eating disorder therapy works on establishing regular eating habits and reducing dieting behavior and binge eating. At the same time, therapy focuses on improving the patient's body image. In addition, new strategies for dealing with emotions are developed. An improvement in dealing with interpersonal problems is also a frequent component of psychotherapy.
"From a scientific point of view, a lot is already known about various therapy methods and their effectiveness," adds Tabea Vogel, who also works at the university. However, the focus is often on treatment successes as a whole and does not differentiate between individual components within the therapy. The evaluation of the individual therapy components by those affected has also been neglected so far, which is why Osnabrück University is now interested in precisely this perspective in a current research project led by Prof. Dr. Silja Vocks. In the long term, the current study could contribute to the expansion of therapy modules that are perceived as particularly helpful.
The study will be conducted online and will take around 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Participants who complete the study will be entered into a prize draw to win vouchers worth between €50 and €15. Interested parties can contact the head of the study, Friederike Flechsig, by e-mail.
Further information for the media:
Friederike Flechsig, M. Sc. Psych. Osnabrück University
Tabea Vogel, M. Sc. Psych. Osnabrück University
Prof. Dr. Silja Vocks, Osnabrück University
Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
kpp-study@uni-osnabrueck.de
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