Binge-eating disorder (BED) is associated with obesity and with elevated rates of co-occurring major depressive disorder (MDD) but the significance of the diagnostic comorbidity is ambiguous—as is the significance of the onset sequence for MDD and BED.

We compared eating-disorder psychopathology and psychiatric comorbidity in three subgroups of BED patients: those in whom onset of BED preceded onset of MDD, those with onset of MDD prior to onset of BED, and those without MDD or any psychiatric comorbidity.

A consecutive series of 731 treatment-seeking patients meeting DSM-IV-TR research criteria for BED were assessed reliably by doctoral-clinicians with semi-structured interviews to evaluate lifetime psychiatric disorders (SCID-I/P) and ED psychopathology (EDE Interview).

Based on SCID-I/P, 191 (26%) patients had onset of BED preceding onset of MDD, 114 (16%) had onset of MDD preceding onset of BED, and 426 (58%) had BED without co-occurring disorders. Three groups did not differ with respect to age, ethnicity, or education, but a greater proportion of the group without MDD was male. Three groups did not differ in body-mass-index or binge-eating frequency, but groups differed significantly with respect to eating-disorder psychopathology, with both MDD groups having significantly higher levels than the group without co-occurring disorders. The group having earlier onset of MDD had elevated rates of anxiety disorders compared to the group having earlier onset of BED.

MDD in combination with BED—with either order of onset—has a meaningful adverse effect on ED psychopathology and overall psychiatric co-morbidity.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.