Personality pathology and its influence on eating disorders

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorder Research

Background:

• Eating disorders (EDs) exhibit significant comorbidity with personality disorders (PDs).
• Obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) occurs in ~22% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, restricting type, versus 8% in the general population.
• Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is present in ~25% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, binge-eating purging type, and 28% with bulimia nervosa, compared to 6% in the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential causal relationship between specific personality disorders and eating disorders.
• To investigate how OCPD may contribute to restrictive eating pathology.
• To examine how BPD may contribute to impulsive eating pathology.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of comorbidity rates between eating disorder populations and the general population.
• Exploration of potential etiological links between personality disorder traits and specific eating behaviors.
• Review of existing literature on the co-occurrence of PDs and EDs.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher prevalence rates of OCPD and BPD were observed in individuals with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa compared to the general population.
• OCPD is associated with restrictive eating patterns in anorexia nervosa.
• BPD is associated with binge-eating and purging behaviors in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Conclusions:

• The high comorbidity rates suggest a potential partially causal relationship between OCPD, BPD, and specific eating disorder pathologies.
• OCPD may predispose individuals to restrictive eating behaviors.
• BPD may predispose individuals to impulsive eating behaviors, including bingeing and purging.