PREVALENCE OF EATING DISORDERS AND MINOR PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN CENTRAL-EUROPE BEFORE THE POLITICAL CHANGES IN 1989 - A CROSS-CULTURAL-STUDY

The prevalence of culture-bound syndromes such as eating disorders in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is unclear and comparative epidemiological studies are lacking. Before the political changes in 1989 we therefore investigated eating disorders, eating attitudes and psychological health in two Eastern European countries and in one West ern democracy. A total of 1225 female and male medical students in Hun gary, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Austria were surveyed. The instruments included the Eating Disorder Inventory and the GHQ. Th e prevalence of eating disorders was calculated on the basis of simula ted DSM-III-R diagnosis. In females, bulimia nervosa prevalence rates of 0.6% (95% CI 0.02, 3.46), 1% (0.2, 2.95) and 0% (0, 2.07) were calc ulated for Austria, Hungary and the GDR, respectively. For subclinical bulimia nervosa, the rate for Hungary (3.8%; 1.95, 6.72) was twice as high as for Austria (1.9%; 0.39, 5.5) and the GDR (1.7%; 0.36, 4.88). Hungarian subjects indicated more psychiatric 'caseness' than their G DR or Austrian counterparts. We conclude that eating disorders represe nted at least as common a problem in Eastern as Western Europe before the changes in political organization. This may be due to an identific ation process with Western values. A further increase of eating disord ers in these countries induced by the recent changes may be possible.