[Eating disorders in the workplace].

The prevalence of eating disorders (ED) has increased and these are intractable disorders that require prolonged treatment. The workplace is an important life scene for the patients, but there are few reports available about the current status and correspondence to ED in workplace. Based on a survey of 1248 enterprises, we discuss the cognition of each form of ED. In addition, the background, eating behaviors, and job stress of 2004 workers were also surveyed. Based on these responses, workers who were supposed to demonstrate anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or night eating syndrome (NES) were identified. The same survey was conducted among outpatients with ED, and the findings were compared with those of a healthy control group. The terms ED, AN, and BN were highly acknowledged in the workplace, but recognition of NES was low. In addition, the prevalence of workers suspected of AN, BN, or NES were 0.27%, 0.21%, and 12.9%, respectively. Based on comparisons of job stress in working ED patients with job stress in workers without ED, and comparisons of job stress in NES workers with job stress in workers without eating problems, specific job stressors were supposed to be associated with ED. These findings indicate the importance of learning appropriate techniques for coping with job stress and the necessity of recognizing abnormal eating behaviors in the workplace.