Personality Pathology and Eating Disorders(Symposium/Mental Disorders Coexisting with Eating Disorders)

Abstract

Recently patients with eating disorders (ED) have increased rapidly in this ward. They fiercely refuse our help, but treatments for ED must be carried out in this correctional institution. But finally any patients who had long severe ED history attained safety weight and obviously reduced abnormal behaviors related to ED. We have treated 63 of ED patients for 4 years, 84% of them had at least one personality disorder diagnosis during our inpatient treatments. Personality pathology is very common among acutely ill patients with ED. As symptoms of ED improve, personality disorders vary. In most patients had already been pointed out before imprisonment that the root of their incurable ED correlate with personality disorders. We regard personality trait as the most important factor when we plan a strategy for ED treatments. Patients of our facilities can be classified into groups according to their criminal act, and there are evident differences between these groups in personality traits, impulsivities, addictions, clinical symptoms, educational background, and so on. Personality characteristics of patients with ED are represented in both impulsiveness and compulsiveness. We have also supported a three-cluster personality typology consisted of undercontrolled type over-controlled type, and resilient type. This paper reviews recent research findings regarding dimensional personality disorders and traits in patients with ED referring to Annual Review of Eating Disorders (Academy For Eating Disorders) and recent related studies.