Personality disorders among subjects recovered from eating disorders.

Abstract: Objective: Personality disorders are common in symptomatic eating disorders subjects. Because personality symptoms could be exaggerated by malnutrition or Axis I disorders, we studied women who had recovered from eating disorders for at least 1 year to see if personality disorder symptoms persisted in the well state. Method: Personality disorders were evaluated in 10 women recovered from anorexia nervosa (AN), 28 women recovered from bulimia nervosa (BN), and 16 women recovered from AN and BN, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality disorders. Results: Fourteen of 54 subjects (26%) met the criteria for at least one personality disorder, such as self-defeating, obsessivecompulsive, or borderline personality disorder. Cluster B personality disorders were closely associated with bulimic subtypes. Conclusions: While a recovery from eating disorders may have an attenuating influence on the symptoms of personality disorders, such personality disorder diagnoses persist after recovery in some recovered subjects

The significance of repetitive hair-pulling behaviors in eating disorders

We studied the relation between intrusive and repetitive hair-pulling, the defining feature of trichotillomania, and compulsive and impulsive features in 1453 individuals with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. We conducted a series of regression models examining the relative influence of compulsive features associated with obsessive compulsive disorder; compulsive features associated with eating disorders; trait features related to harm avoidance, perfectionism and novelty seeking; and self harm. A final model with a reduced sample (n=928) examined the additional contribution of impulsive attributes. One out of 20 individuals endorsed hair-pulling. Evidence of a positive association with endorsement of compulsive behavior of the obsessive compulsive spectrum emerged. Hair-pulling may be more consonant with ritualistic compulsions than impulsive urges in those with eating disorders

Life beyond the eating disorder: Education, relationships, and reproduction

We investigated sociodemographic characteristics in women with and without lifetime eating disorders

Sexual abuse in eating disorder subtypes and control women: The role of comorbid substance dependence in bulimia nervosa

Abstract: Objective: The relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders remains uncertain. Recent data have raised the possibility of differential rates of sexual abuse among subtypes of eating disorders. Methods: We studied women with three subtypes of eating disorders: (1) 26 anorexia nervosa subjects (AN); (2) 20 bulimia nervosa subjects with comorbid substance dependence (BN+SDD); and (3) 27 bulimia nervosa subjects without substance dependence (BN−SDD). We compared women with these eating disorder subtypes to 44 control women (CW). Sexual abuse rates and diagnoses were assessed through direct structured interviews. Results: We found an order effect for sexual abuse which was most common (65%) in BN+SDD subjects, followed by a rate of 37% in BN−SDD subjects and 23% in AN subjects. Subjects of all eating disorder subtypes had significantly higher rates of sexual abuse compared to a rate of 7% in CW subjects. Discussion: Women with BN+SDD had the highest frequency and the most severe history of sexual abuse. However, the causal relationship between eating disorders and sexual abuse remains to be elucidated

Childhood anxiety associated with low BMI in women with Anorexia Nervosa

Extremely low body mass index (BMI) values are associated with increased risk for death and poor long-term prognosis in individuals with AN. The present study explores childhood personality characteristics that could be associated with the ability to attain an extremely low BMI