Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:53:06.532Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impulsivity and Eating Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Thomas Fahy  and
Ivan Eisler
Thomas Fahy*
Affiliation:
King's College Hospital, and Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Ivan Eisler
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
*
∗Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Sixty-seven patients with bulimia nervosa and 29 patients with anorexia nervosa completed the Impulsiveness Questionnaire and questionnaires detailing severity of eating disorder. Bulimic patients had higher impulsivity scores than anorexic patients. Bulimics with high impulsivity scores did not have more severe eating disorders than low scorers. When 39 bulimics and 25 anorexics were interviewed about other impulsive behaviour, 51 % of bulimics and 28% of anorexics reported at least one other impulsive behaviour. Patients with so-called ‘multiimpulsive’ bulimia reported more severe eating disturbance, but this was not reflected on more reliable measures of symptoms. Thirty-nine bulimics entered an eight-week treatment trial and their progress was assessed at eight weeks, 16 weeks and one year. ‘Non-impulsive’ bulimics had a more rapid response than ‘impulsives' during treatment, but there was no difference at follow-up. There was no evidence of an association between high impulsivity trait scores and poor treatment response. It is concluded that impulsivity may shape the expression of eating disorders, but that ‘multi-impulsives' do not constitute a categorically distinct subgroup of bulimics.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 2 , February 1993 , pp. 193 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

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 (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised) (DSM-III-R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
De Silva, W. P. & Eysenck, S. (1987) Personality and addictiveness in anorexic and bulimic patients. Personality and Individual Differences, 8, 749–751.Google Scholar
Esyenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. London: Hodder and Stoughton.Google Scholar
Eysenck, S. B. G., Pearson, P. R., Easting, G., et al (1985) Age norms for impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy in adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 613–619.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G. (1985) Cognitive-behavioral treatment for bulimia. Handbook of Psychotherapy of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia (eds Gamer, D. M. & Garfmkel, P. E.). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Feldman, J. & Eysenck, S. (1986) Addictive personality traits in bulimic patients. Personality and Individual Differences, 7, 923–926.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979) The eating attitudes test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 273–279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, M. & Freeman, C. P. L. (1987) A self-rating scale for bulimia. The BITE. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 18–24.Google Scholar
Kennedy, H. G. & Grubin, D. H. (1990) Hot-headed or impulsive? British Journal of Addiction, 85, 639–643.Google Scholar
Lacey, J. H. & Evans, D. H. (1986) The impulsivist: a multiimpulsive personality disorder. British Journal of Addiction, 81, 641–649.Google Scholar
McCown, W. G. (1988) Multi-impulsive personality disorder and multiple substance abuse: evidence from members of self-help groups. British Journal of Addiction, 83, 431–432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montgomery, S. A. & Asberg, M. (1979) A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 382–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pope, H. G. & Hudson, J. I. (1989) Are eating disorders associated with borderline personality disorder? A critical review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 1–9.3.0.CO;2-#>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1979) Bulimia nervosa: an ominous variant of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 429–448.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sohlberg, S., Norring, C., Holmgren, S., et al (1989) Impulsivity and long-term prognosis of psychiatric patients with anorexia nervosa/bulimia nervosa. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 177, 249–258.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.