Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T16:12:39.355Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Body Image Disturbance in Bulimia Nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2018

Peter J. Cooper  and
Melanie J. Taylor
Peter J. Cooper*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital
Melanie J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge
*
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Bulimia nervosa is a disorder which has only recently been identified and described (Russell, 1979). It is a condition, found almost exclusively in young women, in which episodes of excessive uncontrolled eating are the central feature. Patients with bulimia nervosa usually present at normal weight because they compensate for the bulimic episodes in a variety of ways, such as by inducing vomiting, abusing purgatives and exercising extreme dietary restraint. In addition to these disturbed eating habits, patients with bulimia nervosa have attitudes to their shape and weight similar to those found in anorexia nervosa. They also present with a wide range of neurotic symptoms, particularly of a depressive nature (Russell, 1979; Fairburn & Cooper, 1984). It is generally accepted that these neurotic symptoms are usually a secondary reaction to the core eating disorder rather than of primary diagnostic significance (Fairburn et al, 1985; Cooper & Fairburn, 1986).

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 153 , Issue S2: The Psychopathology of Body Image , 1988 , pp. 32 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © 1988 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM–III (3rd edn). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn – revised) (DSM–IIIR). Washington: APA.Google Scholar
Birtchnell, S. A., Lacey, J. H. & Harte, A. (1985) Body image distortion in bulimia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 408–412.Google Scholar
Collins, J. K., Beamont, P. J. V., Touyz, S. W., Krass, J., Thompson, P. & Phillips, T. (1987) Variability in body shape perception in anorexic, bulimic, obese and control subjects. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 633–638.Google Scholar
Cooper, P. J. & Fairburn, C. G. (1986) The depressive symptoms of bulimia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 268–274.Google Scholar
Cooper, P. J. & Taylor, M. (1987) The nature and assessment of body shape disparagement. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Eating Disorders (ed. S. Abraham). Sydney: Adis Press.Google Scholar
Cooper, P. J., Taylor, M., Cooper, Z. & Fairburn, C. G. The development and validation of the Body Shape Questionnaire. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 485–494.Google Scholar
Cooper, Z. & Fairburn, C. G. (1987) The Eating Disorder Examination: a semi-structured interview for the assessment of the specific psychopathology of eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 1–8.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G. & Cooper, P. J. (1984) The clinical features of bulimia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 238–246.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G. & Garner, D. M. (1986) The diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 403–419.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, P. J., Kirk, J. & O'Connor, M. (1985) The significance of the neurotic symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 19, 135–140.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, Z. & Cooper, P. J. (1986) The clinical features and maintenance of bulimia nervosa. In Physiology, Psychology and Treatment of the Eating Disorders (eds K. D. Brownell & J. P. Foreyt). New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Freeman, R. J., Thomas, C. D., Solyom, L. & Koopman, R. F. (1985) Clinical and personality correlates of body size overestimation in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 4, 439–456.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Stancer, H. C. & Moldofsky, H. (1976) Body image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and obesity. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38, 327–336.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Olmstead, M. P. & Polivy, J. (1983) Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 15–34.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E. & O'Shaughnessy, M. (1985) The validity of the distinction between bulimia with and without anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 581–587.Google Scholar
Norris, D. L. (1984) The effects of mirror confrontation on self-estimation of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa, bulimia and two control groups. Psychological Medicine, 14, 835–842.Google Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1979) Bulimia nervosa: an ominous variant of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 429–448.Google Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1985) Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In Handbook of Psychiatry: The Neuroses and Personality Disorders (eds G. F. M. Russell & L. Hudson). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Touyz, S. W., Beamont, P. J. V., Collins, J. K., McCabe, M. & Jupp, J. (1984) Body shape perception and its disturbance in anorexia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 167–171.Google Scholar
Touyz, S. W., Beamont, P. J. V., Collins, J. K. & Cowie, I. (1985) Body shape perception in bulimia and anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 4, 259–265.Google Scholar
Whitehouse, A. M. (1985) Body image in eating disorders. Unpublished , University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Whitehouse, A. M., Freeman, C. L. & Annandale, A. (1986) Body size estimation in bulimia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 98–103.Google Scholar
Willmuth, M. E., Leitenberg, H., Rosen, J. C., Fondacaro, K. M. & Gross, J. (1985) Body size distortion in bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 4, 71–78.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.