title: Eating behavior and obesity in bipolar disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individuals with bipolar disorder are more frequently overweight or obese than the general population, but the reasons for this association are unknown. The aim of this study is to further understand the etiology of overweight and obesity in bipolar disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  We invited patients in a specialty outpatient bipolar clinic to complete the Eating Inventory. Patients provided self-reported restraint, disinhibition, and perceived hunger as well as general perceptions of dietary intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-two individuals (37 female) between the ages of 18 and 67 (M = 41.5, SD = 13.38) and with an average body mass index (BMI) of 27.18 (SD = 5.71) completed the survey. Disinhibition and perceived hunger were positively correlated with BMI and self-reported difficulty eating healthy foods. Restraint was positively correlated with healthy eating (ps < .05). Stepwise linear regressions revealed that hunger was the most significant predictor of BMI (F(1) = 8.134, p = .006). Those participants with bipolar I or II disorder reported greater hunger scores (p < .01) and difficulty eating healthily (p < .05) than those without a full diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that disinhibition and perception of hunger may be linked to the disproportionately high rate of obesity in bipolar disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA ebernstein@fas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Emily E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nierenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deckersbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Louisa G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Sylvia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: bipolar disorder; body mass index; eating pathology; weight gain