Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy with Pharmacological support in Binge Eating Disorder: a differential research

Objective: This research aimed to verify the differences between patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) alone and those treated with CBT in combination with medication. Method: A selection of 30 subjects affected by BED was carried out on the basis of experimental outcomes that evidenced the efficacy of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin-Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) in the treatment of obesity associated with BED. Some participants underwent CBT alone while the others, in addition to CBT, were treated with bio-equivalent doses of either Paroxetine or Venlafaxine. Binge eating behaviour, impulse regulation, different features of eating behaviour (restrained eating, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating) and different psychotic conditions (Psychopathic Deviate, Depression and Hypomania) were studied during pre- and post-treatment phases. Both the psychological (CBT) and the pharmacological (CBT + SSRIs/SNRIs) therapies were assessed in keeping with the parameters examined. Results: The data showed that CBT alone seems to favour a greater reduction in depression and hypomania as well as the subject’s ability to control eating behaviour; whereas pharmacological treatment appears to control primarily the impulsiveness of food intake.