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Laxative withdrawal and anxiety in bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Weltzin Theodore E.,
Bulik Cynthia M.,
McConaha Claire W.,
Kaye Walter H.
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.1002/1098-108x(199503)17:2<141::aid-eat2260170206>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - anxiety , bulimia nervosa , psychology , laxative , vomiting , psychiatry , trait anxiety , clinical psychology , medicine , eating disorders , constipation
Symptoms of anxiety can be prominent during treatment of bulimia nervosa Our experience is that bulimics who abuse laxatives have the most prominent symptoms of anxiety. We conducted ratings of anxiety in 23 bulimics who purge with laxatives and 17 who purge by vomiting. We found that the laxative‐abusing group had higher levels of state but not trait anxiety and that they were more likely to be treated with medication for anxiety during hospitalization. These data suggest an association between laxatives and anxiety in bulimia nervosa. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.