Eating disorders and alcohol abuse in women

Abstract

Theory and empircal evidence support a relationship between the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) and alcoholism. This study examines the co-prevalence and characteristics of these disorders among two populations of adult women: those presenting for treatment of alcoholism and those referred to a specialized eating disorders programme. Twenty-two of 73 females (30.1%) with alcohol problems met psychometric cut-off scores for eating disorder, while 25 of the 96 eating disorder females (26.9%) gave psychometric evidence of alcohol dependence. These rates exceed general population norms. While certain clinical and psychometric features distinguish subgroups with both disorders, the basis for co-prevalence and the implications for treatment are unknown.