Eating disorder history in women with obsessive compulsive disorder

This study examined the frequency of eating disorders in women with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Letters were sent to area psychiatrists asking them to refer patients diagnosed with OCD to a research study. Subjects completed the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and a survey including history of eating disorders. Thirty-one women participated in the study. Forty-two percent (N = 13) had a past or current history of an eating disorder: 26% anorexia nervosa alone (N = 8); 3% bulimia nervosa alone (N = 1); and 13% both anorexia and bulimia (N = 4). Our study found a higher percentage of history of eating disorders than expected. Perhaps specifically asking about history of weight loss, binging, and vomiting allowed for fuller disclosure of eating disorders than other studies that relied on retrospective chart review or limited the survey to current eating symptoms. A past history of eating disorder may be more common than previously believed and may frequently precede the diagnosis of OCD.