Psychiatry Research EG

Background Eating disorders are complex psychiatric syndromes in which cognitive distortions related to food and body weight and disturbed eating patterns can lead to significant and potentially life-threatening medical and nutritional complications. Aim of the work The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of subclinical forms of eating disorders and the association between it and depression in school girls in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Patients and methods In this two-stage cross-sectional study, we screened 2000 secondary school girls using eating disorder test. Those scoring 30 or less (n=415) and a control group randomly selected from those scoring 30 or more (N=215) were assessed using the eating disorder module of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) axis-I disorders (SCID-I). SCID-I positive patients from stage 2 were screened for depressive symptoms using Beck Depression Inventory and diagnosed as having major depressive disorder according to DSM-IV criteria. Results The prevalence of subclinical eating disorders was 25.5% (subthreshold anorexia 3.5%, subthreshold bulimia nervosa 3.0%, SWC 10.0%, and subthreshold binge-eating disorder 9.0%), and the prevalence of major depressive disorder in SEDS patients was 10.8%. Conclusion Subclinical eating disorders are more frequent than typical eating disorders. Subclinical forms of eating disorders may represent a high-risk group for developing serious eating disorders; identifying this group will give an opportunity of prevention. Depressive disorder is frequent in patients with subclinical eating disorders.