EATING DISORDERS IN EAST AND WEST-BERLIN ADOLESCENTS IN THE 1980S

Data collected in the 1980's, before the reunification of Germany, and comparing 39 patients in former East Berlin and 60 patients in former West Berlin are presented in this second report on the Berlin longitu dinal study of eating disorders in adolescence. The clinical profiles of patients of former East Berlin were found to differ from those of t heir West Berlin counterparts in the following assessed measures: youn ger age at disease onset and at admission for inpatient treatment; gre ater number of siblings; fewer accounts of the clinical symptoms lanug o, bradycardia, hypothermia, constipation; lower rate of premorbid psy chopathological features; lower number of psychopathological findings; less frequent sibling rivalry; lower rate of psychopathological attri butes among the siblings; lower incidence of maternal mental and physi cal illness; higher parental educational status; fewer number of compl aints, and better sense of well-being.