Symptoms of eating disorders in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Despite some empirical evidence suggesting an association between primary OCD and eating disorder (ED) within the 'obsessive-compulsive spectrum', the relationship at a symptomatological level has not been investigated.


METHODS
First, comparisons of Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) scores between 61 patients with primary OCD and 288 control subjects were performed. Secondly, the associations between EDI subscores and Hamburg Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (HZI) dimensions in OCD patients were investigated by multiple regression analyses, controlling for the impact of general psychopathology.


RESULTS
The OCD patients showed significantly higher EDI-scores than controls. However, only distinct OCD symptom dimensions were significantly associated with the core symptoms of ED in females.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results point to a differential gender and symptom-specific relationship between OCD and ED, calling into question a simple dimensional conceptualization of the 'obsessive-compulsive spectrum'.
Grabe
H J
HJ
Department of Psychiatry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald, Klinikum der Hansestadt Stralsund, Germany.
Thiel
A
A
Freyberger
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors