Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To study the personality characteristics in patients with eating behaviour disorders and the influence of these characteristics, and certain clinical syndromes on the progress of these disorders, particularly when they have lasted more than seven years. DESIGN: Study of comorbidity using a diagnostic test. SETTING: Eating behaviour disorders unit outpatients. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 147 patients with eating behaviour disorders being treated as outpatients. They were of normal weight, with a mean age of 22.24 years. INTERVENTIONS: Assessment of personality and clinical syndromes using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II). MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Means of the personality and clinical syndromes scales and determination of prevalence using a rate-base>84. RESULTS: At least one personality disorder was detected in 25.33% of patients with anorexia, 30.44% with bulimia nervosa and 32.13% with binge-eating disorder. In the purgative and non-purgative forms the prevalence was 31.07% and 24.75%, respectively. An obsessive disorder is more common in anorexia (39.77%); a histrionic disorder in bulimia (46.66%); a dependent disorder in the purgative forms (46.15%), and an obsessive one in the no-purgative forms (35.36%). As regards the mean scores, they were significantly higher in patients with bulimia for the histrionic disorder (P<.05). More hysterical type symptoms and hypomania were also observed in these patients (P<.01 and P<.05, respectively). Finally, the patients who had suffered the disorder for more than seven years registered more anxiety (P<.05), depressive neurosis (P<.05) and alcohol abuse (P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: To assess personality styles and clinical syndromes associated with eating behaviour disorders can be an important therapeutic and prognostic tool.