Anxiety disorders and eating disorders: A review of their relationship

Journal/Book: N Z J Psychol. 1995; 24: Business Manager, PO Box 4092, Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand Psychol Soc. 51-62.

Abstract: Historically, the comparative phenomenology of anxiety and eating disorders has been examined from three perspectives. First, parallels in sympaomatology such as the similarity between binging and purging in bulimia or eating-related rituals in anorexia and compulsive behaviour in obsessive compulsive disorder, or between the fear of negative evaluation in both eating disorders and social phobia, have suggested to some a similar underlying psychopathology with symptom expression in different domains. Second, patterns of comorbidity and family history have been studied in both clinical and epidemiological samples of women with eating disorders and have suggested elevated rates of anxiety disorders in both eating disordered probands and their family members. Third, both behavioural and pharmacological treatments known to be effective in the anxiety disorders have been applied successfully to the treatment of eating disorders (e.g. exposure with response prevention and fluoxetine for bulimia). In the absence of prospective studies, these three lines of evidence converge td suggest a modest association between eating and anxiety disorders. The present paper reviews and integrates evidence from the above three perspectives in an attempt to determine the nature of the relation between anxiety and eating disorders.

Note: Article CM Bulik, Univ Canterbury, Dept Psychol, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 1, New Zealand

Keyword(s): OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER; PLUS RESPONSE-PREVENTION; BULIMIA-NERVOSA; ANOREXIA-NERVOSA; CUE EXPOSURE; BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT; LIFETIME PREVALENCE; SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS; SOCIAL ANXIETY; CLINICAL-TRIAL

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