Online multidisciplinary treatment of binge eating disorder in people with high weight: a case series study

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most frequent eating disorder, however, it is underdiagnosed and undertreated, therefore it is currently considered a serious health problem. There are various psychological treatments for BED, but most of them focus on eating, not including the role played by emotions in this disorder. The importance of a multidisciplinary form of treatment (i.e., psychological, nutritional, and physical activity) has been observed in previous studies, emphasizing the importance of the psychological aspect which can improve treatment outcome. Hence the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online multidisciplinary intervention in patients with binge eating disorder. The treatment consisted of 28 two-hour sessions in which contents of psychoeducation, motivation, improvement of eating habits, emotional regulation, and modification of lifestyle in general were addressed. Assessment instruments were applied before and after treatment as well as at two follow-ups. Statistically, improvement was observed in all areas, in addition, these improvements were maintained in the follow-up evaluations at two and six months. The findings of this study are significant given that it is one of the first case series studies carried out in Mexico in this population. Therefore, it is important to continue research on this topic while also being able to provide a timely diagnosis and treatment for these patients.