A Deakin University psychologist says an unrecognised link between the eating disorder bulimia and binge drinking means that many women suffering from both disorders are not receiving effective treatment.

Dr Petra Staiger, of the School of Psychology, has found that many women suffering from both disorders are being treated either in alcohol and drug clinics, or in eating-disorder clinics, and typically find themselves shuttling between the two.

Dr Staiger believes there is a symbiotic relationship between the two disorders, so specialised treatment programs that address one or the other condition, but not both, are likely to be ineffective because the women require therapy that addresses the relationship between the two disorders.

"We have interviewed women who go back and forward between binge drinking and bulimic episodes - they binge-drink to suppress their bulimic urges, then turn to binge-eating to suppress their drinking problem," Dr Staiger said.

Dr Staiger says that in recent years there has been growing anecdotal and clinical evidence that many women who indulge in substance abuse also suffer from eating disorders.

The strongest link appeared to be between problem drinking - a pattern of mild to moderate dependence on alcohol, rather than classic alcoholism - and bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia is a condition where the individual does not eat for long periods, then eats huge amounts of food. They are then overwhelmed by guilt, and deliberately make themselves vomit or take large doses of laxatives.

Dr Staiger and a colleague, Dr Penelope Dawe, from Griffith University in Brisbane, conducted a pilot study to determine how many women suffer from both disorders.

"We discovered that 35% of the women who were being treated at the drinking clinics reported that they were suffering symptoms of bulimia, while 32% of the women being treated for bulimia reported that they were engaging in binge drinking.

"Overall, we found that 43% of the women who participated in the pilot study suffered from both problems.

"Our findings highlight the prevalence of the problem of co-occurring drinking and bulimia problems in women, and the need for an integrated treatment program."

Dr Staiger and Dr Dawe are developing and evaluating such a program, with funding from a three-year Federal Government research grant.

In the process of developing a combined therapy, she is also investigating the psychological link between problem-drinking and bulimia - such an understanding, she says, is essential for devising an effective treatments, and to ensure it is delivered effectively to the women who need it.

Dr Staiger is already having significant success with a treatment program that aims to empower women by helping them to develop strategies to cope with the strong cravings to binge drink and binge eat. Women also learn that it is possible to drink in a controlled, moderate fashion.

In one aspect, she says, the program it represents a radical departure from the almost standard practice of problem-drinking clinics of encouraging patients to abstain completely from alcohol.

Instead of teaching abstinence, the program provides women with the opportunity to learn how to drink slowly and in a controlled way - just one or two drinks in an evening - and also breaking the diet/binge cycle by learning to adopt healthy eating patterns.

Dr Staiger says common threads are beginning to emerge, most of the women she is treating suffer from low self-esteem and depression; some also report a a history of sexual or physical abuse in childhood.

Obesity in childhood is also a strong predictor of bulimia problems, which typically emerge in late teenage or early adulthood - although Dr Staiger says there does not appear to be any direct link with experimental binge-drinking in teenagers.

Many of her patients exhibit impulsive behaviour, such as radically changing their appearance, drink driving and promiscuous behaviour.

Dr Staiger says the bulimia/alcohol disorder problem, which is almost exclusively affects females, is probably also related to intense peer and social pressure on females to conform to unrealistic standards of beauty and physique, as depicted in the media and advertising.

Dr Staiger says any female who is interested in being treated for a combined bulimia/alcohol problem should call the treatment program on (03) 9251 7373. Eligibility is restricted to women over 18, and who have been experiencing drinking and disturbed eating problems during the past 12 months.