The co-occurrence of eating disorders and substance use disorders is frequent in clinical settings. Although there are some data suggesting that this co-occurrence may signal greater psychiatric disturbances and greater medical risks, few studies have evaluated its impact on treatment course. Eighty drug dependent women who had sought treatment in a substance use gender-responsive program were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, The Addiction Severity Index and a standardized questionnaire for demographics and psychoactive substance use variables. The 27 (33.75%) patients who had current eating disorders (ED group) were compared to the 53 (66.25%) patients who did not have such comorbidity (WED group). Results showed that the ED group had drug related problems earlier in life, was significantly younger and had higher drug related severity than the WED group. The differences observed between the groups and the higher prevalence of eating disorders not otherwise specified underscore the importance of a through evaluation of eating disorders in patients with substance use disorders seeking treatment. In order to plan effective therapeutic approaches these differences and moreover the comorbidity between eating disorders and substance use disorders in the course of substance abuse treatment need to be further investigated.
Women; substance use disorders; eating disorders; comorbidity
