Eating Disorders – A Current Concern

Abstract

Epidemiological data shows that Eating Disorders (ED) have been increasing over the past decades and have become one of the most common categories seen in outpatient settings. The EDNOS category – Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified – was included in DSM-IV, joining the traditional Anorexia and Bulimia categories. However, some controversy still exists about whether this inclusion is justified. For this reason we decided to examine the differences between ED groups and a population sample, and to compare the three subgroups using data from the Rorschach Comprehensive System. We compared 106 patients suffering from Eating Disorders with a population of 60 nonpatient subjects from a similar demographic subjects background. The ED group consists of 25 Anorexia, 27 Bulimia, and 54 EDNOS cases. We found that the three groups differ significantly from the nonpatient sample, and while they share some features, Anorexia differs from Bulimia and EDNOS. This last group presents differences in regard to introspective capacities. These differences may have an impact on therapy planning.