Incidence of bulimia in substance misusing women in residential treatment

The incidence of bulimia in 100 consecutive adult women entering a residential substance misuse treatment program was examined utilizing DSM-III-R self-report data. Fourteen percent of the clients were diagnosed as having a concurrent eating disorder, seven times the community prevalence rate. The demographic variable of race was an important distinguishing characteristic, while age was not. Cocaine addicts had the highest rate of bulimia, while opioid addicts had the lowest. The clinical significance of these data for treatment and future research is discussed.