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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

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Is major depressive disorder or dysthymia more strongly associated with bulimia nervosa?
Marisol Perez1, Thomas E Joiner, Peter M Lewinsohn
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270, USA.
Objective:
Research on adult samples has found that the comorbidity between depression and eating disorders exceeds the comorbidity of any other Axis I disorder and eating disorders. Few studies have investigated the specific associations of major depression versus dysthymia with eating disorders.
Method:
This sample consisted of 937 adolescents who were repeatedly assessed until the age of 24.
Results:
Analyses revealed that dysthymia was a stronger correlate with bulimia than major depression, even while controlling for other mood disorders and a history of depression and dysthymia.
Conclusions:
The presence of dysthymia in adolescence might be a possible risk factor for the development of bulimia nervosa.
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