SEASONAL PATTERNS IN EATING DISORDER SUBGROUPS

Patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) often have seasonal patterns of moo d and appetite that compare with patterns seen in seasonal affective d isorder (SAD). Seasonal patterns in other eating disorder (ED) subgrou ps have not been adequately described. We report on seasonal patterns in mood, weight, appetite, sleep, social activity, and energy in 154 c onsecutive admissions to an outpatient ED program: 60 patients with an orexia nervosa (AN), 31 with BN, 34 with a history of both AN and BN ( AN/BN), and 29 with an ED not otherwise specified (ED-NOS). An patient s had significantly less seasonal variation overall than either bulimi c subgroup, as measured by the global seasonality score (GSS) on the S easonal Patterns Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). AN patients also sho wed less seasonal change in mood, weight, and energy than BN patients, and less variation in mood and appetite than AN/BN patients. Copyrigh t (C) 1994 by W.B. Saunders Company