Beating Bulimia in Cyberspace

Doctor touts e-mail therapy

Bulimia can be tough to beat. Those who have the eating disorder are often too ashamed to get the help they need.

But now binge-and-purge eaters have an alternative. According to this news service report on MSNBC, a doctor in Britain has created a therapy program that can be administered via e-mail.

Dr. Paul Robinson, head of the Eating Service at London's Royal Free Hospital, contacted 20,000 college students to see how many would be interested in the program. Twenty-three accepted and then kept a diary of what they ate. The dairy, which also included comments on the patients' feelings, was then e-mailed to the clinic.

Robinson says that after completing the program, patients seemed to have fewer signs of depression and most wanted to get in-person therapy. The story adds that Robinson has called for more study to find out just how effective the e-mail therapy is.

The American Anorexia Bulimia Association has information that can help you determine if you suffer from an eating disorder.

The South Carolina Department of Mental Health also has information about eating disorders.

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