Sh. Kennedy et al., DEPRESSION IN ANOREXIA-NERVOSA AND BULIMIA-NERVOSA - DISCRIMINATING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND EPISODES, Journal of psychosomatic research, 38(7), 1994, pp. 773-782
In a clinical sample of 198 female patients with anorexia nervosa (N =
83) and bulimia nervosa (N = 115), 43% met criteria for major depress
ion using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R. This group
had a mean score of 30.9 +/- 8.7 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI
) which was significantly higher than the BDI mean score of 20.5 +/- 8
.9 among the remainder of the sample (p<0.0001). A score of 26 yielded
the highest levels of sensitivity and specificity, while five items f
rom the BDI (loss of satisfaction, discouragement, weight loss, suicid
al ideation and decision-making) correctly classified approximately 80
% of subjects into ''depression-positive'' or ''depression-negative''
categories. Detection of co-morbid depression in patients with eating
disorders may have practical implications for treatment.