Personality characteristics and intention to self-harm: a study of eating disordered patients

The purpose of this study was to examine certain psychological and behavioral differences between anorexic (AN) and bulimic (BN) patients (n = 78 and 75, respectively) who either had or had not reported an urge to self-harm. The debate concerning whether self-injurious behaviors are more appropriately viewed as obsessive-compulsive behaviors or more closely connected to impulse control disorders like alcohol and drug addiction gave rise to the questions examined in this study. We found no frequency differences between the two patient groups in intention to self-harm. We also found that obsessive-compulsive symptoms and addictive personality characteristics were greater in those with an urge to self-harm. These findings support the view that impulsivity and compulsivity are independent dimensions that can both co-exist in the same individual, and that both are more prominent in those with an intention to self-harm.