title: Binge eating disorder: a stable syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the stability of binge eating disorder in a community sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors interviewed 888 first-degree relatives of 300 overweight or obese probands (150 with binge eating disorder and 150 with no lifetime eating disorder) who were recruited during a family study. They compared the total duration of illness among relatives with lifetime diagnoses of binge eating disorder (N=131), bulimia nervosa (N=17), and anorexia nervosa (N=18).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean lifetime duration of binge eating disorder was 14.4 years (SD=13.9), significantly longer than for either bulimia nervosa (mean=5.8 years, SD=9.1) or anorexia nervosa (mean=5.9 years, SD=7.4). These differences changed little when analysis was restricted to female relatives or to relatives of the probands with no lifetime eating disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that binge eating disorder is at least as chronic as the well-validated disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and likely represents a stable syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. hpope@mclean.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Harrison G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Justine K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.forename: Lindsay J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Pindyck
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Cynthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bulik
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: McElroy
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: James I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Hudson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D003625:Data Collection; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors