title: The interaction of personality disorders and eating disorders: a two-year prospective study of patients with longstanding eating disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed to investigate the relation between personality disorders and symptoms of both eating disorders and general psychopathology over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four patients, with a mean age of 30 years and admitted to a hospital for treatment of a chronic eating disorder, were assessed using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), the Symptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II disorders (SCID-II) at admission, and after 1 and 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the 2-year follow-up, there was considerable reduction in both personality and symptoms (effect size = 0.83-0.94). Panel modeling using structural equation modeling techniques indicated that symptomatic changes generally preceded changes in the personality disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eating disorder symptoms and general symptomatology had direct effects on a dimensional personality disorder index. Thus, personality disorders may be at least partially a consequence of general symptomatology in chronic eating disorders. Symptom improvement appears to precede changes in personality in this sample of patients with chronic eating disorders.
authors.affiliation: Modum Bad, Research Institute, Vikersund, Norway. oyvind.roe@modum-bad.no
authors.forename: Øyvind
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Rø
authors.forename: Egil W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Martinsen
authors.forename: Asle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffart
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sexton
authors.forename: Jan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rosenvinge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies