How to Administer the Bulimia BULIT-R Test

The Bulimia Test Revised (BULIT-R Test) is a set of questions that help diagnose a patient's eating disorder based on the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual (DSM) definition of the condition. It's easy to administer this test to help people self-diagnose their eating disorders, but you need ensure a few factors in order to make it effective.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Guide to interpret scores
• Resources for bulimia sufferers
• BULIT-R Test

Learn to Administer BULIT-R Test for Bulimia

1. Find a copy of the BULIT-R test in the appropriate language for your students. Originally designed for English speakers in 1991, the test has since been translated into other languages, including Spanish. Remember that the test is designed for young adults and adults, so it is not the best test for adolescents.
2. Administer the BULIT-R test to people who are at high risk for an eating disorder. The test is often used in both high school and college health classes. Encourage all test takers to think each question through and answer truthfully.
3. Allow the BULIT-T testers to grade their own examinations. They may be somewhat irritated that only 28 of the 36 questions contribute to their score, but individual grading ensures that each person's privacy is respected.
4. Help the testers understand what their scores say about bulimia. The lowest score, 28, means that the person has no bulimic symptoms. The highest score of 140 means that the person has all the attributes of DSM-defined bulimia.
5. Provide resources for people who have scores indicative of bulimia. Most people will not want to make their conditions public, so just a list of health professionals on campus or in the area is often adequate. Encourage those people with high scores to seek help before bulimia causes serious damage to their bodies.
6. Ask if you can collect the anonymous tests and submit them for bulimia and test research. The BULIT-R paperwork should include information on where to send the tests. Remind the people who took the test that they will only be identified to researchers by their gender and age.

Tips & Warnings

• During the test, remind everyone that it is a self-assessment test and will only be helpful if the questions are answered honestly. The benefit of the BULIT-R exam is that the bulimic answers are fairly obvious so it can help some people accept their conditions and seek help even if they lie on the exam.
• There are other tests that are shorter and look at weight and dieting issues, but the BULIT-R test is the most widely used one that looks at all factors of DSM bulimia.