Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:581-587
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
The validity of the distinction between bulimia with and without anorexia nervosa
DM Garner, PE Garfinkel and M O'Shaughnessy
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bulimia
in women with anorexia nervosa and bulimia of a similar severity in
normal-weight women and to determine the support for the distinction
between these two groups according to DSM-III criteria. Results indicated
that bulimic women with anorexia nervosa (N = 59) and bulimic normal-weight
women (N = 59) resembled each other on most variables and were more similar
to each other than to women with anorexia nervosa who rigidly restricted
food intake (N = 59). The results failed to support the diagnostic
distinction between bulimia in anorexic women and bulimia of equal severity
in normal-weight women.
