PURGING BEHAVIORS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AND PSYCHIATRIC-SYMPTOMS IN 398 EATING-DISORDERED SUBJECTS

Objective: The present work investigates differences in psychiatric sy mptoms and self-injurious behaviors among different forms of purging b ehavior in eating disorders (ED). Method: The sample was composed of 3 98 subjects consecutively referred to an outpatient ED unit. Results: Both in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), psychiatric sy mptoms were significantly more serious in purging compared to nonpurgi ng groups, while no significant difference emerged among divergent for ms of purging behaviors. The presence of multiple methods to control w eight appeared to be a predictor of impulsive behaviors, as subjects w ho used both vomiting and laxatives reported significantly higher freq uency of self-injurious behaviors. In BN, the self-injury was often a suicide attempt. Discussion: The impact of purging behavior on the pro gnosis of AN and BN should be further studied since our research has s hown a trend towards more frequent self-damaging behaviors in subjects who resort to multiple forms of purging behavior. (C) 1996 by John Wi ley & Sons, Inc.