Clinical correlates of eating disorder comorbidity in women with bipolar disorder type I

Abstract

Objective: To report on the presence of current and lifetime eating disorders (ED) in a well-defined sample of 137 female individuals with bipolar disorder type I.

Methods: Trained psychiatrists interviewed the patients, and the diagnoses of BD and comorbidities were confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Axis I Disorders. Clinical and demographic characteristics of both groups (group with ED vs. group without ED) were compared.

Results: Female patients with ED had an earlier onset of BD and an increased number of mood episodes, predominantly depressive. Women in the ED group also had higher rates of comorbidity with substance use disorders and anxiety disorders and reported a history of suicide attempts more frequently than women without ED.

Conclusion: The presence of ED is a correlate of severity of BD type I, and interventions should be developed to minimize distress and suicide risk and to improve treatment outcome.