Subclassifications in eating disorders and obesity: a comparative study of an Italian sample.
The purpose of this study is to examine differences between eating disorder subgroups, including obese patients, in a large Italian sample seen at a specialist clinic. All patients (n=263) who consecutively contacted the University Eating Disorder Outpatient Clinic of Padua were divided into subgroups according to the literature. Different subgroups were compared according to clinical features, SCL-90, EAT and TFEQ scores. The study confirms the importance of purging, which is associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms than bingeing; a direct correlation between severity of psychiatric symptoms and duration of eating disorder was found. Among obese patients the bingers are distinguished from the nonbingers by a higher degree of eating and psychological distress and a greater number of dieting attempts.
Favaro
A
A
Institute of Psychiatry, University of Padua, Italy.
Olivotto
M C
MC
Zambenedetti
M
M
Pavan
T
T
Santonastaso
P
P
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies