Features associated with laxative abuse in individuals with eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Laxative abuse is common in patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa and has been associated with longer duration of illness, suicide attempts, impulsivity, and greater eating and general psychopathology. We explored the extent to which laxative abuse was associated with specific psychopathological features across eating disorder subtypes.


METHODS
Participants were 1021 individuals from the multisite, International Price Foundation Genetic Studies. Axis I disorders, personality disorders and traits, and obsessive compulsive features were assessed.


RESULTS
Laxative abuse was associated with worse eating disorder and general psychopathology and higher prevalence of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Symptom level analyses revealed that specific features of BPD, including suicidality and self-harm, feelings of emptiness, and anger, were most strongly associated with laxative abuse.


CONCLUSIONS
The function of laxative abuse may differ across individuals with eating disorders, alternatively serving as a method of purging and a form of self-harm.
Tozzi
Federica
F
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1st floor Neurosciences Hospital, CB #7160, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7160, USA.
Thornton
Laura M
LM
Mitchell
James
J
Fichter
Manfred M
MM
Klump
Kelly L
KL
Lilenfeld
Lisa R
LR
Reba
Lauren
L
Strober
Michael
M
Kaye
Walter H
WH
Bulik
Cynthia M
CM
D000786:Anger; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D002400:Cathartics; D004644:Emotions; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology
D002400:Cathartics