Comparative psychopathology of women with bulimia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Twenty women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and 20 women with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were compared on responses to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Multivariate analyses showed no significant differences between bulimic and OCD women on the MMPI, although a greater number of bulimic women showed significant elevations on several of the clinical scales. Analyses of SCL-90-R profiles indicated higher scores on somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and psychoticism in the BN sample. Bulimic women did not differ significantly from OCD women on either obsessive-compulsive measures or other measures of anxiety. Similarities and differences in symptom profiles between these two groups are discussed, as well as their implications for alternative treatment approaches for BN.