title: Clinical validity of the descriptor. "presence of a belief that one must eat in order to get to sleep" in diagnosing the Night Eating Syndrome.
abstract: The diagnostic criteria for the Night Eating Syndrome (NES) published in 2010 require the presence of two core criteria: evening hyperphagia and/or nocturnal awakenings for ingestion of food and three of five diagnostic descriptors. One of the descriptors is as follows: "The belief that one must eat in order to fall asleep". In this study we evaluated whether this conviction is significantly more prominent in obese individuals suffering from insomnia and nocturnal eating, than among obese patients with insomnia who do not eat at night. Ninety-eight obese subjects afflicted by insomnia were included in this study. Eight were affected by NES, 33 by Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and 13 by both BED and NES. Subjects' insomnia and sleep disturbances were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index and the Sleep Disturbance Questionnaire. The presence of the belief that one must eat at night in order to sleep was evaluated with the question: "Do you need to eat in order to get back to sleep when you wake up at night?" Patients affected by NES and by both BED and NES were convinced that nocturnal food intake was necessary in order to fall back asleep after a night time awakening. The presence of this belief seemed to be a critical factor in identifying the presence of the Night Eating Syndrome among obese subjects suffering from insomnia.
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy. Electronic address: piervinai@tin.it.
authors.forename: Piergiuseppe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vinai
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cardetti
authors.affiliation: "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Stacia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Studt
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carpegna
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferrato
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vallauri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, United States.
authors.forename: Halpern
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.affiliation: "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vinai
authors.affiliation: "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vinai
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Neurology, Scientific Institute and University Ospedale San Raffaele, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferini Strambi
authors.affiliation: "Studi Cognitivi" Post Graduate Cognitive Psychotherapy School Research Group, ForoBuonaparte, 57, 20121 Milano, Italy; "GNOSIS" Research and Psychotherapy Group V, Cottolengo 19, Mondovì, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Speciale
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Epilepsy Centre, Neurocenter (EOC) of Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital, Lugano, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manconi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003469:Culture; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Binge Eating Disorder; Dysfunctional belief; Insomnia; Night Eating Syndrome; Obesity