30-MONTH OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH ANOREXIA OR BULIMIA-NERVOSA AND CONCOMITANT OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Objective: The present study examines whether concomitant obsessive-co mpulsive disorder (OCD) indicates a poorer prognosis for Patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Method: Seventy-five female inpatients w ho met DSM-IV criteria for anorexia or bulimia nervosa took part in th e follow-up study; 29 of these patients met criteria for concomitant O CD. All patients were investigated twice: during inpatient treatment a nd at follow-up 30 months after discharge. A semistructured diagnostic interview was used as well as the Eating Disorder Inventory and the H amburg Obsession-Compulsion Inventory-Short Form. Results: At follow-u p, 51% (N = 38) of the patients no longer fulfilled DSM-IV criteria fo r anorexia or bulimia nervosa, but this improvement was not significan tly correlated with the earlier presence of concomitant OCD. Analysis of variance far repeated measures revealed significant improvement ove r time on size of the eight Eating Disorder Inventory subscales for al l patients regardless of OCD presence. Furthermore, no significant gro up effects or group-by-time interactions were identified. Clinically s ignificant change, as reflected by improvement in scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory, was seen somewhat more often in patients without concomitant OCD, but this trend was not statistically significant. The patients whose eating disorders were most improved at follow-up also showed the highest reduction of obsessions and compulsions. Conclusion s: The results suggest that concomitant OCD does not indicate a signif icantly poorer Prognosis for patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa .