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Other psychiatric disorders among bulimic patients
P S Powers1, D L Coovert, D R Brightwell
1University of South Florida Psychiatry Center, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa 33613.
Comprehensive Psychiatry
|September 1, 1988
Summary
Bulimic women often exhibit more psychiatric issues than previously thought. Diagnostic tools show significant differences in identifying these co-occurring conditions, impacting treatment approaches.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Eating Disorders Research
Background:
- Bulimia nervosa is frequently associated with comorbid psychiatric conditions.
- Clinical observations indicate a high prevalence of co-occurring disorders in individuals with bulimia nervosa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses in women with bulimia nervosa.
- To compare diagnostic yields between unstructured clinical interviews and a structured diagnostic instrument.
Main Methods:
- Utilized unstructured clinical interviews and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-Patient Version (SCID-P).
- Assessed 30 women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa for Axis I and Axis II disorders.
- Examined agreement between the two assessment methods for mood disturbances.
Main Results:
- Unstructured interviews identified 21 Axis I and 6 Axis II diagnoses.
- The SCID-P identified a substantially higher number of diagnoses: 47 Axis I and 78 Axis II.
- Minimal agreement was observed between methods for assessing mood disturbance.
Conclusions:
- Bulimic women present with a greater degree of psychopathology than often recognized.
- Discrepancies highlight challenges in measuring and conceptualizing DSM-III-R Axis II disorders.
- Structured diagnostic interviews provide a more comprehensive assessment of comorbidity in bulimia nervosa.