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Eating disorders in women who abuse alcohol
Author(s) -
PEVELER ROBERT,
FAIRBURN CHRISTOPHER
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1990.tb01653.x
Subject(s) - eating disorders , anorexia nervosa , psychiatry , addiction , binge eating , alcohol abuse , substance abuse , medicine , clinical psychology , psychology
Abstract It has been suggested that various forms of addictive behaviour and substance abuse co‐exist more frequently than would be expected by chance. Such co‐morbidity may lessen the effectiveness of treatment, and may not be recognized by clinicians who specialize in one particular form of addiction. This study addresses one aspect of this issue: the co‐existence of eating disorders and alcohol abuse. Women attending an alcohol treatment unit completed a self‐report measure of the clinical features of eating disorders. Thirty‐six per cent of the sample reported the symptom of binge‐eating, 26% fulfilled diagnostic criteria for a probable current clinical eating disorder, and 19% had a history of probable anorexia nervosa. The findings suggest that the behaviour and attitudes characteristic of clinical eating disorders are over‐represented in women receiving treatment for an alcohol problem, and further study of such co‐morbidity is merited.