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Binge eating disorder in elderly individuals
Author(s) -
Guerdjikova Anna I.,
O'Melia Anne M.,
Mori Nicole,
McCoy Jessica,
McElroy Susan L.
Publication year - 2012
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/eat.22028
Subject(s) - binge eating disorder , mood , comorbidity , binge eating , psychiatry , eating disorders , obesity , body mass index , psychiatric comorbidity , psychology , overeating , schema (genetic algorithms) , mood disorders , clinical psychology , medicine , bulimia nervosa , anxiety , pathology , machine learning , computer science
Objective: To preliminarily describe the clinical features of elderly individuals with binge eating disorder (BED). Method: The psychological and general medical characteristics of 20 elderly individuals (65 years of age and older) who met DSM‐IV‐TR for BED were systematically evaluated. Results: Elderly individuals with BED reported an average (SD) of 4.5 (2.9) binge eating episodes per week. Weight and shape concerns were of significant importance for participants' schema for self‐evaluation. Mood disorders were the most frequent co‐occurring psychiatric disorders. Despite having a mean (SD) body mass index of 36.4 (10.6), most participants presented in good general medical health. Discussion: Regarding eating pathology, psychiatric comorbidity, and associated obesity, BED in this group of elderly individuals was similar to BED in younger adults. However, other than presenting with obesity, the participants reported good general medical health. BED might be a problem for a subset of physically healthy elderly individuals. Studies further examining psychiatric and medical presentation, including metabolic profile, of elderly individuals with BED may be warranted. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012;45:905–908)