The role of depression and impulsivity in the psychopathology of bulimia nervosa

Abstract

IntroductionThe study aimed to analyze the role of depression and impulsivity in the psychopathology of bulimia nervosa (BN). Materials and methodsSeventy female patients with DSM-IV BN, purging subtype, were assessed for eating-related symptoms, body dissatisfaction, affective symptoms, impulsivity, and personality traits. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling methods were used for statistical analysis. ResultsBN appeared as a condition which incorporated 5 general dimensions: (a) binge eating and compensatory behaviors; (b) restrictive eating; (c) body dissatisfaction; (d) dissocial personality traits; and (e) a cluster of features which was called “emotional instability”. The 5 obtained dimensions can be grouped into 2 basic factors: body dissatisfaction/eating behavior and personality traits/psychopathology. The first one contains the clinical items used for the definition of BN as a clinical condition in the DSM-V and the International Classification of Diseases 10, and reflects the morphology and the severity of the eating-related symptoms. The second dimension includes a cluster of symptoms (depressive symptoms, impulsivity, and borderline, self-defeating and dissocial personality traits) which could be regarded as the “psychopathological core” of BN and may be able to condition the course and the prognosis of BN.