Laxative withdrawal in eating disorders: treatment protocol and 3 to 20-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVE

This article describes a treatment protocol for laxative withdrawal and presents some preliminary information about response to treatment at 3 to 20-month follow-up.

METHOD: Patients were contacted 3 to 20 months after admission and evaluated with a shortened form of the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE).

RESULTS

Fifty-seven percent of patients were abstinent from laxatives at follow-up and there were significant reductions in laxative-related symptom variables. Abstinence from laxatives was not accompanied by any other changes in eating behavior and was not associated with any pretreatment variables that were assessed.

DISCUSSION: It appears to be feasible to withdraw patients from laxatives as an isolated intervention with a reasonably high rate of success.