Severity of bulimia: Relationship with depression and other psychopathology

There were 53 women (35 bulimics and 18 normal controls) who were compared on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality inventory, the Symptom Checklist-90R, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The bulimics were separated into two groups, high (N = 18) and low (N = 17) frequency purgers, based upon a median split self-monitored purging data. Bulimics who purged less than 3 times per week (M = 1.71) were classified as low frequency purgers, and those who purged more than 3 times per week (M = 9.94) were classified as high frequency purgers. Comparisons of the three groups showed that both groups of bulimics differed from normals on measures of depression, but on other measres, i. e., anxiety interpersonal sensitivity and sociopathic trait, only the high frequency purgers differed from normals. Correlational analyses indicated that these same variables, and especially depression, were positively correlated with purging, suggesting that severity of bulimia may be associated with additional psychopathology. These findings were discussed in terms of the existing literature concerning the psychopathology of bulimia.