Investigation of the psychopathology of purging bulimia and binge eating disorder

The new addition of nonpurging bulimia to the DSM-IV created a significant controversy among eating disorder experts. Many argued that nonpurging bulimia was in fact a subtype of bulimia while others argued that it was more commensurate with binge eating disorder. Recent research that has compared individuals with purging bulimia to individuals with nonpurging binge eating disorders (binge eating disorder and nonpurging bulimia) has found evidence that individuals who binge and purge may exhibit separate, distinct etiologies and high levels of related psychopathology. Nineteen individuals diagnosed with purging bulimia and 16 individuals diagnosed with binge eating disorder were compared on a variety of psychosocial measures including the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV -II (SCID II-version 2.0), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales-3rd revision, the I-7 and a variety of dieting and weight related variables. Significant differences were found between subjects with bulimia and subjects diagnosed with binge eating disorder on the eating concern and restraint subscales of the EDE. No other significant differences were found however, medium effect sizes were noted for weight and shape concern, depression, impulsivity and adaptability thus suggesting that with larger samples significant differences may be found. Implications of these findings as well as directions for future research are discussed.