Early psychopathological signs in bulimia nervosa. A retrospective comparison of the period of puberty in bulimic and control girls

While bulimia nervosa (BN) typically begins in girls during late adolescence, puberty and associated developmental changes have been linked to negative body image and onset of a variety of psychological problems. This study aimed to identify early psychopathological signs, which could have marked the period of puberty in subjects whom later developed BN. In a case control study, we compared 49 girls with BN according to DSM-IV, aged between 18 and 20 years, to 49 girls of the same age, who were free of any past or current psychiatric diagnosis. Psychiatrists or clinical psychologists, using a semi-structured clinical interview including retrospective assessment of the emotional and behavioural changes that had occurred in puberty evaluated both groups. Before the onset of a clinical eating disorder, the subjects with BN presented significantly more often than controls weight related concerns, attitudes of withdrawal and social isolation, and negative changes in their body image and self-image, as well as in their relationships with siblings and peers. The results suggest that early psychological distress precedes the onset of an eating disorder in many cases, and that prevention efforts should be directed towards peripubertal psychopathology.