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Purging behaviors, suicide attempts, and psychiatric symptoms in 398 eating disordered subjects
Author(s) -
Favaro Angela,
Santonastaso Paolo
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199607)20:1<99::aid-eat11>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , bulimia nervosa , eating disorders , psychiatry , vomiting , psychology , clinical psychology , suicide prevention , anorexia , injury prevention , poison control , medicine , medical emergency
Objective The present work investigates differences in psychiatric symptoms and self‐injurious behaviors among different forms of purging behavior in eating disorders (ED). Method: The sample was composed of 398 subjects consecutively referred to an outpatient ED unit. Results: Both in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), psychiatric symptoms were significantly more serious in purging compared to nonpurging groups, while no significant difference emerged among divergent forms of purging behaviors. The presence of multiple methods to control weight appeared to be a predictor of impulsive behaviors, as subjects who used both vomiting and laxatives reported significantly higher frequency of self‐injurious behaviors. In BN, the self‐injury was often a suicide attempt. Discussion: The impact of purging behavior on the prognosis of AN and BN should be further studied since our research has shown a trend towards more frequent self‐damaging behaviors in subjects who resort to multiple forms of purging behavior. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.