Body checking and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in Brazilian outpatients with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE

Compare obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), and assess the association of these symptoms and body checking in each of these groups of patients.

METHODS

Eighty-five female outpatients with eating disorders (ED) completed body checking and obsessive-compulsive questionnaires.

RESULTS

Body checking was more prevalent in the BN group. Among patients with AN, the highest mean body-checking scores were found in patients with somatic obsessions related to body areas and eating rituals (p = 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).

DISCUSSION: Patients with eating disorders are believed to be included in the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, and may experience intrusive thoughts about behavior. The results of our work suggest that obsessive symptoms and body checking should be further investigated and properly managed in patients with ED.