Chao-Ying Tu1, Mei-Chih Meg Tseng2, Chin-Hao Chang3. 1. Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yunlin Branch, Yunlin 64041, Taiwan. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 22060, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10051, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Oriental Institute of Technology, New Taipei City 22061, Taiwan. Electronic address: mctseng@ntu.edu.tw. 3. Department of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10055, Taiwan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Night eating syndrome (NES) is a diagnosis newly introduced in the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This study investigated the characteristics of NES in individuals with eating disorders and the clinical significance of NES in individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN). METHODS: We recruited participants with eating problems at psychiatric outpatient clinics and from Internet referrals and age, sex, and educational level-comparable controls from September 2013 to April 2017. All participants received in-face structured clinical interviews to establish their eating disorder and NES diagnoses and completed questionnaires assessing NES, eating attitudes/behaviors, depression, sleep disturbances, morningness/eveningness preference, and functional impairment. Comparisons of measurements were made across patients with eating disorder subtypes and across patients with NES-only, BN-only, comorbid BN and NES, and controls. RESULTS: NES was identified in 10.3%, 34.9%, and 51.7% of the individuals with anorexia nervosa, BN, and binge-eating disorder, respectively. NES-only group had more frequent binge-eating, higher degrees of eating pathology, depression, sleep disturbances, and functional impairment compared to controls; however, NES-only group shared similar levels of disordered eating, depression, sleep disturbances, and functional impairment with BN-only group. BN-NES group had no difference from BN-only group on most eating pathology, psychopathology, and functional impairment, except for the presence of greater eating and weight concerns. CONCLUSION: NES has its clinical significance; however, it overlaps with BN in several dimensions of psychopathology. Presence of night eating in a BN group may not contribute clinically meaningful psychopathology.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Night eating syndrome (NES) is a diagnosis newly introduced in the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This study investigated the characteristics of NES in individuals with eating disorders and the clinical significance of NES in individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN). METHODS: We recruited participants with eating problems at psychiatricoutpatient clinics and from Internet referrals and age, sex, and educational level-comparable controls from September 2013 to April 2017. All participants received in-face structured clinical interviews to establish their eating disorder and NES diagnoses and completed questionnaires assessing NES, eating attitudes/behaviors, depression, sleep disturbances, morningness/eveningness preference, and functional impairment. Comparisons of measurements were made across patients with eating disorder subtypes and across patients with NES-only, BN-only, comorbid BN and NES, and controls. RESULTS: NES was identified in 10.3%, 34.9%, and 51.7% of the individuals with anorexia nervosa, BN, and binge-eating disorder, respectively. NES-only group had more frequent binge-eating, higher degrees of eating pathology, depression, sleep disturbances, and functional impairment compared to controls; however, NES-only group shared similar levels of disordered eating, depression, sleep disturbances, and functional impairment with BN-only group. BN-NES group had no difference from BN-only group on most eating pathology, psychopathology, and functional impairment, except for the presence of greater eating and weight concerns. CONCLUSION: NES has its clinical significance; however, it overlaps with BN in several dimensions of psychopathology. Presence of night eating in a BN group may not contribute clinically meaningful psychopathology.
Authors: Natasha D Melunsky; Francesca Solmi; Zoë Haime; Sarah Rowe; Virginia V W McIntosh; Janet D Carter; Jennifer Jordan Journal: Eat Weight Disord Date: 2021-05-31 Impact factor: 4.652