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Emotional Perception in Patients with Eating Disorders in Comparison with Depressed Patients
Author(s) -
Joos Andreas A. B.,
Gille Melanie,
Hartmann Armin,
Unterbrink Thomas,
WetzlerBurmeister Edda,
Scheidt Carl,
Waller Elisabeth,
Bauer Joachim,
Wirsching Michael,
Zeeck Almut
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.1132
Subject(s) - disgust , psychology , eating disorders , anger , anorexia nervosa , bulimia nervosa , emotion perception , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , beck depression inventory , comorbidity , perception , psychiatry , anxiety , neuroscience , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract Objective Emotion regulation is a key issue for many psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders, including eating disorders. Eating disordered patients (EDP) show high levels of depressive comorbidity, and there is much uncertainty about disorder‐specific deficits. This study is aimed at delineating disorder‐specific disturbances of emotional perception in EDP. Method Fifty‐two EDP were compared with 35 depressed patients (DP) and 25 healthy controls. They rated their emotional experience when viewing visual emotional stimuli. Emphasis was placed on the patients' perception of their own emotions and not on the recognition of emotions in others. Severity of depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. Results Eating disordered patients and DP reported less anger than healthy controls—independent of the severity of depression. In addition, DP showed increased levels of disgust when confronted with anger stimuli. Happiness was rated less in EDP and DP, which was associated with severity of depression. There were no differences between the EDP subgroups bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Conclusion Eating disordered patients and DP showed alterations of emotional perception of anger, an emotion which is closely linked to interpersonal difficulties. Alterations in emotional perception of EDP and DP might be due to more general emotion regulation disturbances. In order to detect more subtle differences between psychiatric subgroups, more sophisticated investigation tools are needed. Increased disgust ratings in DP merit further investigation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.