[Comorbidity and characteristic of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in anorexia nervosa]

There is constant interest in possible relations between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa (AN). The comorbidity rate for OCD and AN is reported to be between 10% and even 40%. There is also an increased incidence of prior AN in OCD patients and high number of anorectic patients with obsessional premorbid personality. Similarities between AN and OCD lie in the symptoms of the disorders: intrusive, fearful thoughts, a compulsive need to perform rituals aimed at reducing the level of anxiety and obsessions maintaining these rituals. In case of AN, these behaviours revolve around food and thinness, whereas in OCD they are of more general and differential in type. Research on AN-OCD relations provides interesting insights, but also presents some limitations. The purpose of this review is to analyse and discuss the specificity of relations between symptoms of AN and OCD.