Depressive and manic-hypomanic spectrum psychopathology in patients with anorexia nervosa

We used a dimensional measure of mood psychopathology to document lifetime depressive and manic-hypomanic spectrum symptoms in 50 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).

Participants provided demographic information and completed the Self-Report Questionnaire for Mood Spectrum, a 161-item instrument that documents lifetime symptoms, traits, and behaviors characteristic of threshold and subthreshold mood episodes. Analyses focused on the association of depressive and manic-hypomanic component scores with indicators of clinical severity in AN.

Lifetime severity of depressive (M[SD] = 39.1[13.9]) and manic-hypomanic (M[SD] = 23.8[12.1]) spectrum symptoms exceeded the established thresholds for clinical significance on these scales (ie, score > or =22). There was a positive correlation between the number of manic-hypomanic items endorsed and the number of depressive items endorsed. After controlling for lifetime history of mood disorder, severity of depressive and manic-hypomanic spectrum symptomatology also was associated with a history of self-induced vomiting and suicidality in patients with AN.

These data provide initial evidence for the clinical significance of depressive and manic-hypomanic spectrum symptoms in patients with AN. Future work is needed to determine how mood spectrum psychopathology might impact the course and treatment of AN.