Aggressiveness, anger and eating disorders: a review

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorder Research

Background:

• Anger and aggression, particularly self-directed, are prevalent in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN).
• These behaviors complicate clinical presentation, prognosis, and management of eating disorders.
• Understanding these links is crucial for effective therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the complex relationships between eating disorders (AN, BN), anger, and aggressiveness.
• To examine the role of traumatic experiences, dissociative, obsessive, impulsive, and compulsive symptoms.
• To investigate the impact of severe personality disorders and the sense of self in these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on eating disorders, anger, aggression, trauma, and personality disorders.
• Analysis of the prevalence of dissociative, obsessive, impulsive, and compulsive symptoms.
• Consideration of self-injurious behaviors in the context of AN and BN.

Main Results:

• Anger and aggression are significant comorbidities in AN and BN, impacting treatment outcomes.
• Trauma history, specific symptom clusters (dissociative, obsessive-compulsive), and personality disorders are associated with increased anger.
• An undefined sense of self is proposed as a central factor in the model.

Conclusions:

• The relationship between eating disorders, anger, and aggression is multifaceted, involving psychological and personality factors.
• Therapeutic approaches should address trauma, comorbid symptoms, personality traits, and the sense of self.
• A proposed model highlights the undefined sense of self as a key element in understanding these complex associations.