Exploring Alexithymia, Depression, and Binge Eating in Self-Reported Eating Disorders in Women

Abstract

This study found that alexithymia was more highly correlated with binge eating than with either anorexia or bulimia. In addition, a significant history of trauma and health problems for those who reported as binge eaters was reported. Implications for practice are discussed.

Alexithymia and Its Relationships with Dissociative Experiences, Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disturbances in a Non-Clinical Female Sample

“…The relationships between negative feelings about one's body, low self-esteem, depressed mood and eating disturbances have been widely investigated (Speranza et al 2005;Wheeler et al 2005).…”

Alexithymia is not related to severity of night eating behavior: A useful distinction from other eating disorders

“…In eating disorder patients, alexithymia (Wheeler, Greiner, & Boulton, 2005) seems to be a component secondary to concurrent depression and significant relationships were found between alexithymia, binge eating and depression. However, other researchers found that rates of alexithymia did not vary according to the type of eating disorder if depression is considered as a confounding variable .…”

The Risk of Eating Disorders Among Female Undergraduates in Taiwan

“…Wheeler, Greiner, and Boulton (2005) highlight the difficulty that some at-risk, bulimic women have in expressing emotion, especially if they are concomitantly depressed, with the depression placing them at an increased risk of bulimic behaviors occurring. Eating disorder combined with the symptoms of depression (Braun, Sunday, & Halmi, 1994;Goebel, Spalthoff, Schulze, & Florin, 1989;Williamson, Kelley, Davis, Ruggiero, & Blouin, 1985), or whether behaviors indicative of disordered eating is characteristic of a female being depressed, is still controversial (Lee, Rush, & Mitchell, 1985;Morrison, Waller, & Lawson, 2006).…”