Obsessive-compulsive disorder among patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
The present study sought to determine the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder among patients with eating disorders.


METHODS
Ninety-three women who met DSM-III-R criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa were investigated by using a semistructured diagnostic interview, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, and the Eating Disorder Inventory.


RESULTS
Thirty-four patients (37%) met the DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder and also had a clinically significant score of 16 or higher on the Yale-Brown scale. These patients also had significantly higher, and hence pathological, mean scores on five of eight Eating Disorder Inventory scales than patients with eating disorders without concomitant obsessive-compulsive disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that there is a high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder among patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa and that this prevalence may be correlated with the severity of the eating disorder.
Thiel
A
A
Department of Psychiatry, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany.
Broocks
A
A
Ohlmeier
M
M
Jacoby
G E
GE
Schüssler
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index