The treatment of bulimia nervosa following surgery using a stimulus control procedure: a case study.

This single case report describes the treatment of a 35-year-old female, who was diagnosed as suffering from severe bulimia nervosa. Of interest were the frequent vomiting episodes which did not exist prior to two surgical operations performed on the client in order to reduce her overall body weight. The treatment, a stimulus control procedure, which spanned 20 sessions, lasted about 24 weeks and was deemed successful after a year follow-up. Of primary importance was the self-management aspect of the treatment program, which emphasized minimum therapist intervention. In addition, there was a complete absence of "cognitive components" deemed necessary by some authors for the long-term treatment success of bulimics. Different factors relating to the success of this treatment program are also reviewed.