Targeted prevention in bulimic eating disorders : randomized controlled trials of a mental health literacy and self-help intervention

In this chapter we describe two attempts to identify and assist women with EDs in the community, one a sample of younger women from tertiary education institutions and one a sample of older women attending their family doctors. In the first trial we did not replicate the positive findings of an earlier study which found a brief BN-MHL intervention improved mental health related quality of life when compared to a control condition of information about ED services only. The MHL intervention had little impact on changing attitudes and beliefs about EDs, their identification or their treatment. However, the present studies were possibly underpowered to show differences. The second study was with an enhanced intervention that included provision of an evidence-based self-help book. There may have been a small impact on identification of the ED but overwhelmingly participants still had a comparatively low regard for specialist treatments and rated getting more information as the most helpful approach for a fictitious person with a bulimic ED.