Commentary on Empirical Examinations of the Association Between Anxiety and Eating Disorders

A substantial body of research supports comorbidity between eating and anxiety disorders, and articles in this special section explore the nature of this association using several different research designs. This commentary reviews findings from these articles, focusing on inferences that may be drawn from each design. Collectively, articles support the need for future studies to examine whether eating and anxiety disorders share underlying mechanisms. If identified, such mechanisms could create opportunities for transdiagnostic interventions that ameliorate suffering from both eating and anxiety disorders.