Is the relationship between anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive pathology dependent on the content of obsessions and compulsions?

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Is the relationship between anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive pathology dependent on the content of obsessions and compulsions?"

Polly Gibson
5 years ago
Views:

Verplanken 3 & Dr Anne Haase 1 1 University of Bristol, UK 2

1 Is the relationship between anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive pathology dependent on the content of obsessions and compulsions? Caitlin Lloyd 1, Dr Maria Øverås 2, Dr Øyvind Rø 2, Dr Bas Verplanken 3 & Dr Anne Haase 1 1 University of Bristol, UK 2 Regional Unit for Eating Disorders (RASP), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway 3 University of Bath, UK

2 Overview Study background and rationale Method Results Conclusion -participants -materials -data analysis

3 Background Obsessions and compulsions surrounding eating, exercise and the body well characterised in anorexia nervosa (AN). Parallels between AN and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) disorder have been drawn for quite some time (Bastiani et al., 1996). -two disorders suggested to share an underlying pathology (Steinglass & Walsh, 2006).

Rates of OCD within samples of AN individuals reported to be

4 Background Anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are highly co-morbid (Kaye et al., 2004). Rates of OCD within samples of AN individuals reported to be much higher than within the general population (Lewin, Menzel & Strober, 2013).

5 However... Direct comparison between those with AN and healthy individuals (HC) made infrequently. - OCD diagnosis and obsession and compulsion presence have been compared in AN and HC groups. - Differences in obsession and compulsion severity have not been investigated.

6 The present study Research question: Is the severity of obsessions and compulsions greater in individuals with AN compared to HC?

Participants and healthy controls were agematched, and ages ranged from 14

7 Method Secondary data analysis Participants 32 AN patients, and 34 healthy volunteer women. Participants and healthy controls were agematched, and ages ranged from 14 to 27. Measures The Obsession and Compulsion severity subscales of the Child Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Revised (Shafran et al., 2003).

Method Data Analysis Two-way ANOVA -Investigated effects of diagnostic status, symptom content and their interaction on obsession and compulsion severity.

8 Method Data Analysis Two-way ANOVA -Investigated effects of diagnostic status, symptom content and their interaction on obsession and compulsion severity. -To inform whether all obsessions and compulsions of AN individuals are more severe than those of HC, or whether only those relating to eating, exercise and the body are more severe in AN.

9 Results: Obsession severity Main effect of Diagnostic Status HC=4.45 AN=12.30 F(1, 59)=5.70, p-=.02

10 Results: Obsession severity Main effect of Obsession Content Other=6.86 AN=13.87 F(1, 59)=1.58, p=.19

11 Results: Obsession severity Eating, exercise & bodyrelated=14.29 (AN, n=19) vs 8.00 (HC, n=1) Other=10.84 (AN, n=14) vs 4.33 (HC, n=30) F(1, 59)=0.02, p=.967 Interaction effects: diagnostic status and obsession content

12 Results: Compulsion severity Main effect of Diagnostic Status HC=4.06 AN=13.90 F(1, 59)=27.89, p<.0005

13 Results: Compulsion severity Main effect of Compulsion Content Other=4.91 AN=13.89 F(1, 59)=9.45, p=.003

14 Results: Compulsion severity Eating, exercise & bodyrelated=15.70 (AN, n=23) vs 5.60 (HC, n=5) Other=8.75 (AN, n=8) vs 3.78 (HC, n=27) Interaction effects: diagnostic status and compulsion content F(1, 59)=3.225, p=.078

15 Conclusions Cannot rule out that individuals with AN have more severe obsessions and compulsions generally. Further study is required.

16 Limitations Small sample size. Causal inferences cannot be drawn. Inability to separate severity scores for eating, exercise and body-related symptoms from those for other types of symptom.

17 Thank you

18 Questions

19 References Bastiani, A., Altemus, M., Pigott, T., Rubenstein, C., Weltzin, T., & Kaye, W. (1996). Comparison of obsessions and compulsions in patients with anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 39(11), Kaye, W. H., Bulik, C. M., Thornton, L., Barbarich, N., & Masters, K. (2004). Comorbidity of anxiety disorders with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(12), Lewin, A. B., Menzel, J., & Strober, M. (2013). Assessment and treatment of comorbid anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder. In Handbook of treating variants and complications in anxiety disorders (pp ). Springer New York. Mazure, Halmi, Sunday, Romano, & Einhorn. (1994). The Yale-Brown-Cornell eating disorder scale: Development, use, reliability and validity. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 28(5), Shafran, R., Frampton, I., Heyman, I., Reynolds, M., Teachman, B., & Rachman, S. (2003). The preliminary development of a new self-report measure for OCD in young people. Journal of adolescence, 26(1), Steinglass, J., & Walsh, B. T. (2006). Habit learning and anorexia nervosa: a cognitive neuroscience hypothesis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39(4),

Background Paper: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Kristen Thomas. University of Pittsburgh

Background Paper: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Kristen Thomas University of Pittsburgh December 2011 2 According to the DSM-IV, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) will be diagnosed when the child displays