Self-damaging and addictive behaviour in bulimia nervosa. A catchment area study

This study examines the prevalence of self-damaging and addictive behaviour in a consecutive series of 112 normal-weight bulimic women all stemming from the same urban catchment area. A quarter reported consuming over 36 units of alcohol a week, and nine drank over 50 units. Twenty-eight per cent ab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 1993-08, Vol.163 (2), p.190-194
Main Author: Lacey, JH
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol abuse
Alcoholism
Analysis of Variance
Behavior, Addictive - psychology
Body Image
Bulimia
Bulimia - psychology
Bulimia nervosa
Catchment areas
Drug abuse
Drugs
Female
History
Humans
Impulsive Behavior - psychology
Impulsivity
Self-Injurious Behavior - psychology
Sexual abuse
Substance abuse
Substance-Related Disorders
Theft
Women
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Summary:This study examines the prevalence of self-damaging and addictive behaviour in a consecutive series of 112 normal-weight bulimic women all stemming from the same urban catchment area. A quarter reported consuming over 36 units of alcohol a week, and nine drank over 50 units. Twenty-eight per cent abused drugs, 21% repeatedly stole, 18% repeatedly overdosed, and 8% regularly cut themselves. In all, 40% reported self-damaging and addictive behaviour, 80% of whom gave a history of three or more behaviours together. Alcohol abuse was significantly associated with drug abuse and repeated overdosing; repeated cutting was significantly associated with drug abuse. Repeated stealing and overdosing were markers of severity and did not occur in isolation. A core group, termed and defined by the author as 'multi-impulsive bulimics', were older, less likely to be employed, married, or in a stable union, but were more likely to have an alcohol-abusing partner or to come from a family with a history of alcohol abuse. They were also more likely to give a history of sexual abuse.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.163.2.190