USE OF THE MMPI-2 IN THE OUTPATIENT ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN WITH ANOREXIA-NERVOSA OR BULIMIA-NERVOSA

Past research has shown that women with eating disorders commonly disp lay clinical elevations on several scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI; Hathaway & McKinley, 1983), so the MMPI may be useful for the differentiation of women with Anorexia Nervosa f rom those with Bulimia Nervosa. In the study presented here, 116 women diagnosed with either Bulimia Nervosa or Anorexia Nervosa completed t he Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). Multivariate analyses failed to re veal any differences among the diagnostic subtypes. Consideration of p rofile code types was suggestive of possible group differences that mi rror those discussed in previous literature on the personality feature s of women with eating disorders. Results are discussed with regard to past research and the clinical utility of the MMPI in the outpatient assessment of women with Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.