Bulimia: symptoms and syndromes in an urban population.
The widely used DSM-III criteria for the diagnosis of bulimia essentially define bulimia as a syndrome of guilty, secretive and subjectively hard to control binge over-eating. A self-report questionnaire for bulimic behavior was administered to three community and two hospital populations in South Australia. 13% of females in the community samples could be categorized as bulimic according to the DSM-III criteria. Those criteria did not adequately define the behaviour of patients in treatment for bulimia in a Weight Disorders Unit, 85% of whom not only binged, but induced vomiting afterwards. When diagnostic criteria were more closely aligned to clinical experience, the prevalence of bulimia in the community appeared closer to 1-2%. New DSM criteria (DSM-III-R) have been proposed and prevalence rates using them fell within the 1-2% range.
Ben-Tovim
D I
DI
Department of Psychiatry, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, SA.
Subbiah
N
N
Scheutz
B
B
Morton
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008370:Manuals as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population