FATIGUE MOOD AS AN INDICATOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN ANOREXIA-NERVOSA AND BULIMIA-NERVOSA

In order to clarify the differences in mood states between anorexia an d bulimia nervosa, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) with tension-anxi ety, depression, anger-hostility, vigour, fatigue and confusion scales was administered to 32 female patients with anorexia nervosa (age ran ge 14 to 32 years, mean age 20 years), 49 female patients with bulimia nervosa (age range 15 to 33 years, mean age 23 years) and 410 'normal ' female subjects (age range 14 to 35 years, mean age 23 years). The s cores on the depression, fatigue and confusion scales for both anorexi a and bulimia nervosa and those on the tension-anxiety and anger-hosti lity scales for bulimia nervosa were significantly higher tt;an those for the control subjects. The score on the fatigue scale for bulimia n ervosa was significantly higher than that for anorexia nervosa. Moreov er, the result of the multiple logistic regression analysis including all of the POMS scales indicated that the fatigue scale significantly discriminated between the two disorders, Fatigue mood appears to be a principal indicator for differentiating between the two disorders.