PATTERNS AND PREDICTORS OF RECOVERY IN ANOREXIA-NERVOSA AND BULIMIA-NERVOSA

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the course and outc ome of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa at 1 year in a large cohor t of women with eating disorders. Method: A prospective, naturalistic, longitudinal design was used to map the course of 225 women with anor exia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and mixed anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Structured interviews were conducted quarterly. Follow-up data are pr esented in terms of patterns of recovery, clinical features predictive of time to recovery, and the role of comorbid disorders as fixed pred ictors. Results: The recovery rate of bulimics was significantly bette r than that of anorexic or mixed subjects, yet nearly half the anorexi c and mixed subjects no longer met full DSM-III-R criteria for at leas t 8 consecutive weeks during the first year of follow-up. Percent idea l body weight and type of eating disorder were significantly associate d with outcome. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the diagnosis o f anorexia nervosa has severe implications.