Full syndromal versus subthreshold anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder: A multicenter study

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 309 - 318
• Main Authors: Crow, Scott J., Stewart Agras, W., Halmi, Katherine, Mitchell, James E., Kraemer, Helena C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.11.2002; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anorexia; Anorexia Nervosa - diagnosis; Anorexia Nervosa - epidemiology; Binge eating; Biological and medical sciences; Bulimia; Bulimia - diagnosis; Bulimia - epidemiology; Discriminant Analysis; Eating disorders; Female; Follow-Up Studies; full and partial cases; Humans; Medical diagnosis; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nosology. Terminology. Diagnostic criteria; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Syndrome; Techniques and methods; Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorders Scale; Bulimia; Human; Discriminant analysis; Binge eating; Criterion; Evaluation scale; Female; Psychometrics; Anorexia nervosa; Diagnosis; Eating disorder
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.10088

Objective The diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) establish symptom severity levels, which are used to separate full cases from partial cases. However, the value of these distinctions is unclear. Method Three hundred eighty‐five women with full or partial AN, BN, or BED were assessed at entry into a longitudinal study of eating disorders. Results Stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that full and partial BN were discriminated by the Yale‐Brown‐Cornell Eating Disorders Scale total scores (kappa = .46). However, it was not possible to discriminate between full and partial AN or BED. Discriminant analysis also demonstrated clear differences between full AN, BN, and BED. Discussion Full BN can be differentiated from partial BN by more severe eating disorder symptoms, whereas both full and partial AN and full and partial BED appear quite similar. These results emphasize the distinct nature of AN, BN, and BED, as well as the similarities between full and partial cases. © 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 32: 309–318, 2002.