Empirical classification of eating disorders

Although the eating disorder nosology has become refined over the years, considerable problems remain. The purpose of the present study was to empirically examine eating disorder classification using a sample of treatment-seeking eating-disorder patients. One hundred and fifty-nine patients with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder, not otherwise specified (EDNOS), were included in a cluster analysis using a variety of eating disorder variables. Findings revealed four clusters, with three clusters resembling AN, restricting type, BN, and binge-eating disorder (BED). The remaining cluster appeared to be a group of patients that were subthresholded in terms of symptom severity. Results also indicated a relatively poor fit between the empirically derived groupings and clinical diagnoses. The implications of these findings for both the current classification system and treatment considerations are discussed.