Treatment for Bulimia

Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) is a serious mental illness. It can affect anyone of any age, gender, or background. People with bulimia experience cycles of eating large quantities of food (called bingeing), and then trying to compensate for the binge by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively (called purging). You can read more about bulimia here.

Most treatment for bulimia will take place in outpatient services.

Therapy

Therapy can be recommended as part of the treatment for bulimia in order to tackle the underlying thoughts and feelings that cause the illness and encourage healthier ways of coping.

Evidence-based guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), apply in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Guidelines from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) apply in Scotland.

• For adults, NICE recommends guided self-help focused on bulimia. This should use self-help materials based on CBT, and should involve supportive sessions over the course of the programme to help ensure its effectiveness. If guided self-help isn’t acceptable or effective for you, it recommends individual CBT focused on eating disorders.
• For children and young people, NICE recommends family therapy focused on bulimia. If this is unacceptable or ineffective it recommends individual CBT focused on eating disorders.
• For adults with bulimia in Scotland, SIGN recommends CBT tailored to eating disorders or bulimia as a first-line therapy. If this is unsuitable, ineffective or inappropriate it says other treatment options could be considered, such as interpersonal therapy, integrative cognitive-affective therapy, or schema therapy.
• For adolescents with bulimia in Scotland, SIGN recommends CBT or family-based treatment adapted for bulimia. If these treatments are not acceptable it says that psychodynamic therapy could be considered.

You can read a bit more about what each therapy involves in our glossary.

Find support

You can search our HelpFinder service to see accredited counsellors and therapists in your area.

Self-help and support groups

Self-help and support groups where you’re able to talk to others going through similar experiences can be useful to both people with eating disorders and their families throughout treatment and in sustaining recovery. You can search our HelpFinder service to see what’s available in your area.

What support can Beat offer?

Need support now? We've got you. You can contact us via telephone and one-to-one chat. Our Helpline page has more information about our opening hours.

England Helpline: 0808 801 0677 | help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Scotland Helpline: 0808 801 0432 | Scotlandhelp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Wales Helpline: 0808 801 0433 | Waleshelp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Northern Ireland Helpline: 0808 801 0434 | NIhelp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk

You can also join one of our online support groups, which are anonymous and give you the opportunity to speak to people going through similar experiences to you.

If you’d like to find face-to-face support in your area, you can use our HelpFinder service to see what’s available.

Overturning bad decisions and understanding good ones

An eating disorder diagnosis helps clinicians decide the best treatment pathway. If you are not sure you have been given the right information or have been denied treatment our Overturning Bad Decisions (and understanding good ones) page can help you understand your options.