Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

In an anecdotal study of efficacy of treatment, female patients between the ages of 10 and 55 years with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder were seen in individual, family or group therapy in an outpatient setting. Patients were exposed either to an addictions model or to a competency model for treatment. Outcome measures were selfreport of consecutive days of abstinence from eating disorder behavior; weekly ratings of sense of self, relationships with family and significant others, work or school and friendships and overall sense of well-being and the difference between the GAF at the initial appointment and GAF at termination of treatment. The modal number of treatment appointments was six with a range between 1 and 20. All the original data was lost with a computer systems change. The conclusion was that patient motivation for change was greater with a competency model.

Biography

Lorraine M Dorfman was trained in the addictions model in the treatment of eating disorders at DePaul Rehabilitation Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has established an Eating Disorder Program at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and at the Achievement and Guidance Centers of America, Inc. where she was the Director in Ewing and Flemington, New Jersey. She currently maintains a private practice in Bucks County and Lehigh County in Pennsylvania. Her forthcoming books from Hillcrest Media Group, Inc., Five Essentials to Be Your Best You and Head vs. Heart: 3 Steps to Your Best Choice, delineate the competency model she utilizes in the treatment of eating disorders.

Email: DrDorfman@aol.com