Recurrent binge eating (RBE) and its characteristics in a sample of young women in Germany.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the characteristics of recurrent binge eating (RBE) in a non-treatment-seeking sample from the general population. RBE individuals are described in terms of socio-economic status, general psychopathology, and comorbidity rates of mental disorders.


METHODS
Participants were 1877 German females aged 18-24 years from a population-based epidemiological study.


CONCLUSIONS
The point prevalence of RBE in our sample was 0.9% (N = 17). Compared to healthy women, subjects with RBE suffered more often from comorbid mental disorders and also exhibited more general psychopathology: They were similar to women with other mental disorders and other eating disorders (EDs). RBE seems to be a syndrome of clinical significance itself and might be an important risk factor for the development of further EDs, especially binge eating disorder (BED) and other mental disorders.
Munsch
Simone
S
Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. simone.munsch@unibas.ch
Becker
Eni
E
Meyer
Andrea
A
Schneider
Silvia
S
Margraf
Jürgen
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002032:Bulimia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors