Screening for eating disorders in a psychiatric outpatient population.
BACKGROUND
Some studies have found "hidden" eating disorders in psychiatric patients. However, eating behaviour, weight, and body image concerns are usually weakly assessed among psychiatric patients.


OBJECTIVE
a) To analyse the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in patients referred from primary care for psychiatric assessment; and b) to analyse the psychopathological variables associated with these disorders. Methods. Ninety-three patients underwent psychometric assessment using Derogatis' Symptom Checklist-90-R, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test-40 (EAT-40), the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE), and the Body Dissatisfaction Scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory-2. The subsequent clinical assessment, applying DSM-IV-R criteria for ED, was conducted by means of interview with those patients whose scores on the EAT-40 and BITE were above the cut-off points.


RESULTS
The assessments confirmed one case of bulimia nervosa and three of unspecified eating disorder, these accounting for 1.07% and 3.22%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The existence of hidden ED in psychiatric patients, especially as regards bulimic behaviour, and the correlation between eating disorder symptoms and different psychopathological variables make it important for clinicians to conduct a proper assessment when faced with "anxiety and depressive syndromes", which are a common feature of primary care referrals for psychiatric assessment.
Jauregui Lobera
Ignacio
I
Area de Nutricion y Bromatologia, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain. ijl@tcasevilla.com
Bermudo Parra
Salvador
S
Martinez Lopez
Maria Dolores
MD
Cuadri Galan
David
D
Garrido Casals
Olivia
O
Alvarez Bautista
Elena
E
D000328:Adult; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012017:Referral and Consultation