The changing profile of anorexia nervosa at the Toronto Programme for Eating Disorders

The present study is a retrospective comparison of anorexic patients of the restricting subtype (AN) with those of the bulimic subtype (AN+BN) over three consecutive 5-year time periods. Subjects consisted of 806 female out-patients diagnosed as either AN or AN+BN between 1978 and 1994 during an assessment of their eating problem at the University of Toronto Programme for Eating Disorders in Toronto, Canada. During each time period an increasing proportion of subjects was diagnosed with AN+BN than with AN. Subjects with AN+BN reported a longer duration of illness prior to being assessed. Over time, subjects in both groups appeared to weigh more, and were less likely to report amenorrhea. Subjects from both groups reported higher frequencies of purging behavior, impulsive behaviors, and associated affective symptoms in the later time periods. Over time, the differences between the two subgroups of patients became less distinct. The results indicate changes in the clinical profile of patients with anorexia nervosa seen at the Toronto Programme for Eating Disorders over the past 16 years. The implications of these changes are explored.