Comorbidity in bulimia nervosa

Introduction: It is still unclear whether patients with bulimia nervosa differ according to additional comorbid diagnoses from other patient groups, e.g. from patients with anxiety problems. Method: The present study examines whether a group of women with bulimia (n = 106) suffer from additional comorbid diseases. To evaluate how typical the comorbid diseases are for bulimia nervosa, a control group of healthy women (n = 106) as well as a group of women with panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 95) were recruited. A standardized clinical interview (DIPS; Diagnostic Interview for Psychiatric Disorders) was used for the DSM-III-R diagnoses. Moreover, we analyzed whether bulimic patients with no comorbid diseases suffer from severe psychopathological symptoms, such as depressive or obsessive-compulsive symptoms, although they do not fulfil the criteria for a disorder. Results: The results suggest that the two clinical groups are comparable with regard to the kind and number of comorbid diagnoses. However, women suffering from bulimia nervosa showed significant more subclinical symptoms, such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms and symptoms of social anxieties as well as alcohol abuse than women with panic disorder with agoraphobia symptomatology. Discussion: Comorbid diagnoses seem to be relevant for the therapy of patients with bulimia nervosa as well as for the therapy of patients suffering from panic disorder.