WHY AND HOW DO WOMEN RECOVER FROM BULIMIA-NERVOSA - THE SUBJECTIVE APPRAISALS OF 40 WOMEN RECOVERED FOR A YEAR OR MORE

As part of a larger study of recovery in bulimia nervosa, 40 women rec ruited by local advertisement and referral who were recovered from the disorder for a year or more (median recovery = 36 months) participate d in semistructured interviews regarding factors they believed to be r elated to their recovery process. We asked how life experiences and im portant persons in their lives had helped or hindered their recovery, what aspects of bulimia nervosa they found hardest to change and what they would still like to change, what they felt they gave up by recove ring, and their beliefs about the potential for full, lasting recovery . We further inquired about professional and nonprofessional treatment s utilized, our subjects' satisfaction with care, and specific helpful and harmful elements in treatment. Spontaneous answers were coded fro m audiotaped interviews. The women reported diverse experiences, many of which were consistent with clinical and empirical accounts. Almost 90% had received some treatment by a mental health professional, and m any also had utilized nonprofessional treatments, particularly Overeat ers Anonymous; these treatments were described as helpful by the major ity using them. Of note, although parents often provided some practica l support for treatment, the majority of subjects reported that their mothers and fathers were more harmful than helpful in the recovery pro cess. (C) 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.