DEFINING SUBGROUPS OF DIETING DISORDER PATIENTS BY MEANS OF THE EATING DISORDERS EXAMINATION (EDE)

Background. It is important to determine the optimal manner of categor ising eating disorder patients so as to aid in the understanding of th eir specific psychopathological state. Method. We compared subgroups o f eating disorder patients divided according to different sets of fact ors, using a structured interview which elicits the specific psychopat hological features of these illnesses. The patients, comprising 116 co nsecutive women admitted to two university-affiliated eating disorder clinics, were grouped according to DSM-III-R criteria, clinical presen tation (purging, binge eating), nutritional status, and age. Result. T he dearest separation of groups was afforded by the clinical dimension of purging as opposed to not purging. This was superior to DSM-III-R criteria. Other systems, such as presence of binge eating, and various levels of nutritional status and of age, were clearly inferior. Concl usion. The presence or absence of purging behaviour appears to offer t he most heuristic means of categorising eating disorder patients with respect to their specific psychopathological state.