Completed

Comparison of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Supportive Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder

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What is being tested

Group Psychotherapy-Negative Emotion Focus

+ Group Psychotherapy- Self-Esteem Focus

Behavioral
Who is being recruted

Feeding and Eating Disorders+3

+ Mental Disorders

+ Bulimia

Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-Controlled
Interventional
Study Start: October 2003
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorStanford University
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: October 1, 2003

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is associated with impairments in physical, psychological, and social functioning. Research has revealed relationships between disordered eating and both low self-esteem and negative emotional states. Participants in this study will complete assessment interviews regarding their eating disorder and associated problems. Similar assessments will be conducted at the end of the study. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of two therapy groups. Participants in one group will focus on the role of self-esteem, self-awareness, and personal effectiveness in binge eating. Participants in the other group will focus on the role of negative emotions and binge eating. Both treatments will involve a 30 to 40 minute pre-treatment individual orientation session, followed by 20 weeks of weekly group therapy. Sessions will take place over 22 weeks, or approximately 6 months (18 weekly sessions followed by 2 biweekly sessions). Follow-up assessments will take place at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after study completion to assess maintenance of treatment effects.

Official TitleComparison of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Supportive Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder 
NCT00071578
Principal SponsorStanford University
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

101 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers not allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Feeding and Eating DisordersMental DisordersBulimiaHyperphagiaSigns and Symptoms, DigestiveBinge-Eating Disorder

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder * Reside in the San Francisco Bay Area * Willing to commit to the study requirements Exclusion Criteria: * Unstable medical problems * History of bipolar illness or schizophrenia * Receiving treatment for an eating disorder (or unwillingness to discontinue treatment upon study entry) * Membership in weight-loss groups such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig (or unwillingness to discontinue membership upon study entry) * Use of medications affecting weight or appetite. Antidepressants are acceptable, but doses of any psychiatric medication must have been stable for at least 3 months prior to study start * Breast-feeding * Require gastric-bypass surgery

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

2 intervention groups are designated in this study

50% chance of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups

Group I

Experimental
Group therapy Negative Emotion Focus

Group II

Placebo
Group Psychotherapy- Self Esteem Focus

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

Stanford University Medical Center

Stanford, United StatesSee the location
CompletedOne Study Center