Differences between female and male patients with eating disorders--results of a multicenter study on eating disorders (MZ-Ess)

Abstract

Publications about men with eating disorders are still rare. Therefore, in view of the current status of the findings, it seems worthwhile to examine the differences that are empirically verified as well as the relevant common features between the sexes. Based on a representative sample, therefore, male and female patients with eating disorders in inpatient treatment are compared in terms of demographic and clinical variables (symptoms and personality), both at the beginning of treatment and two-and-a-half years after the inpatient treatment, and the findings are discussed with regard to their "gender specificity". The study covered 1,171 patients (male and female) with the diagnosis criteria for anorexia, bulimia and double diagnosis according to DSM-III-R; 33 of them were men. Anorexia cases (342 women and 13 men) and bulimia cases (629 women and 18 men) were compared at the beginning of treatment with the following instruments: Symptom Checklist 90-R; Eating Disorder Inventory; questionnaire for the symptom diagnosis of eating disorders; Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar and Narzissmus-Inventar. As a measure of success in the 2.5 year catamnesis (764 women and 20 men), operationalized criteria were defined using the LIFE. The 2.8 % share of men with eating disorders in inpatient treatment again confirms the special nature of this clinical disorder for men. An interesting result is the later onset of illness in male anorexia cases. Coinciding with comparable studies, there are only minor differences in eating behavior, but the differences in body experience are much more pronounced. In bulimic men, there is a higher percentage of homosexuals and they are more satisfied with their body. Anorectic men have a greater gain from the illness, are more concerned about their health and are less performance-minded than female anorectics. The differences that were found clearly indicate that these occur especially in the area of dealing with the body and the significance of the body. One of the reasons why the results in the area of personality and sexual identity are interesting is that they point to differences which definitely appear to be significant, not just between the sexes, but also between male anorexia and bulimia.