Bulimia nervosa: emotions and making decisions.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to add to the knowledge of the neurobiology and aetiopathogenesis of bulimia nervosa, a common disorder in routine clinical practice. To do this, we will study decision making in low risk and low uncertainty patients.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The study consisted of 19 females who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of bulimia nervosa according to the DSM-IV and a control group of 28 healthy female students from the Faculty of Psychology. They performed two tasks: one a "cups task" risk and the other an "ambiguity task", both associated with emotions and decision making.

RESULTS

The patients with bulimia took more risks in the win domain than in the lose domain, whereas the reverse was observed in the control group. In the decision making task, low ambiguity, and the number of decisions risked, was similar in both bulimia nervosa and the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support those of previous investigations and theories that postulate that the making of decisions is not only mediated by cognitive processes, but the emotions also play an important role in these processes.