Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T06:45:17.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Abnormal Eating Attitudes in Young Insulin-Dependent Diabetics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

J. M. Steel*
Affiliation:
Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh
R. J. Young
Affiliation:
Hope Hospital, Salford
G. G. Lloyd
Affiliation:
Royal Free Hospital, London
C. C. A. Macintyre
Affiliation:
Edinburgh University
*
Diabetic and Dietetic Department, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, EH3 9YW

Abstract

All insulin-dependent diabetics between the ages of 16 and 25 years attending the diabetic clinic at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, (152 women and 139 men) were asked to complete the EAT, the EDI, and the GHQ, and to provide a control subject (sibling or close friend) of similar age who would do likewise. Marked differences were found between diabetic women (but not men) and their controls in eating attitudes, in many of the psychological characteristics associated with eating disorders, and in GHQ scores. Although some of the women had classic anorexia nervosa or bulimia, others with abnormal eating attitudes did not fulfil the formal criteria. Overall, diabetics were significantly heavier than controls but the differences in eating attitudes were not eliminated by correcting for overweight. Abnormal scores were associated with high HbA, levels and independently with retinopathy. The weight gain and psychological effects of diabetes are identified as probably of aetiological importance in the abnormal eating attitudes of young diabetic women.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 1989 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bridges, K. & Goldberg, D. (1984) Psychiatric illness in patients with neurological disorders. British Medical Journal, 288, 268271.Google Scholar
Bridges, K. & Goldberg, D. (1986) The validation of the GHQ 28 and the use of the MMSE in neurological in-patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 548553.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. G. & Steel, J. M. (1980) Anorexia nervosa in diabetes mellitus. British Medical Journal, 280, 11671168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feldman, E., Mayou, R., Hawton, K., et al (1987) Psychiatric disorders in medical in-patients. Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 63, 405417.Google ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979) The eating attitudes test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 273279.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1980) Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 10, 647656.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P. & Polivy, J. (1983) Development and validation of a multi-dimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 1534.3.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. (1972) The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire, Maudsley Monograph No. 21. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. & Blackwell, B. (1970) Psychiatric illness in general practice: detailed study using a new method of care identification. British Medical Journal, ii, 439443.Google Scholar
Gomez, J., Dally, P. & Isaacs, A. J. (1980) Anorexia in diabetes mellitus. British Medical Journal, ii, 6162.Google Scholar
Hillard, J. R., Lobo, M. C. & Keeling, R. P. (1983) Bulimia and diabetes: a potentially life threatening combination. Psychosomatics, 24, 292295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hillard, J. R. & Hillard, P. J. A. (1984) Bulimia, anorexia nervosa and diabetes: deadly combinations. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 7, 367379.Google Scholar
Hudson, J. I., Hudson, M. S. & Wentworth, S. M. (1983a) Self-induced glycosuria: a novel method of purging in bulimia. Journal of the American Medical Association, 249, 2501.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, M. S., Wentworth, S. M. & Hudson, J. I. (1983b) Bulimia and diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine, 309, 431432.Google ScholarPubMed
Malone, G. L. & Armstrong, B. K. (1985) Treatment of anorexia nervosa in a young adult patient with diabetes mellitus. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 173, 509511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, S., Borner, H. & Kabel, M. (1987) Anorexia nervosa/bulimia in diabetes mellitus. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 75, 464473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powers, P. S., Malone, J. I. & Duncan, J. A. (1983) Anorexia nervosa and diabetes mellitus. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 44, 133135.Google Scholar
Rodin, G. M., Daneman, D., Johnson, L. E., et al (1985) Anorexia nervosa and bulimia in female adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a systematic study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 19, 381384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodin, G. M., Johnson, L. E., Daneman, D., et al (1986) Eating disorders in female adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 16, 4957.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roland, J. M. & Bhanji, S. (1982) Anorexia nervosa occurring in patients with diabetes mellitus. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 58, 354356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosmark, B., Berne, C., Holmgren, S., et al (1986) Eating disorders in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 47, 547550.Google ScholarPubMed
Russell, G. M. (1979) Bulimia nervosa – an ominous variant of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 429448.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steel, J. M. (1987) Eating disorders and diabetes. Practical Diabetes, 4, 256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steel, J. M. (1989) Eating disorders and diabetes. In Textbook of Diabetes (eds Pickup, J. & Williams, G.). Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications (in press).Google Scholar
Steel, J. M., Young, R. J., Lloyd, G. G., et al (1987) Clinically apparent eating disorders in young diabetic women: associations with painful neuropathy and other complications. British Medical Journal, 294, 859862.Google Scholar
Szmukler, G. I. (1984) Anorexia and bulimia in diabetics. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 28, 365369.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, G., Borsey, D. Q., Leslie, P., et al (1987) Psychiatric disorder in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus attending a general hospital clinic: i) two stages screening and ii) detection by physicians. Psychological Medicine, 17, 515517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wing, R. A., Nowalk, M. P., Marcus, M. D., et al (1986) Subclinical eating disorders and glycaemic control in adolescents with Type I diabetes. Diabetes Care, 9, 162167.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.