From Cathleen Henning Fenton,
Your Guide to Panic Disorder.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Steven Gans, MD

If you have an anxiety disorder, you have an increased risk of having an eating disorder. If you have an eating disorder, it's possible that you also have an underlying anxiety disorder. Not everyone with one disorder has the other, but it's not unusual for the two to go hand in hand. No matter which disorder is the primary disorder, the secondary disorder can make recovery all the more complex and difficult.

How Many at Risk

Percentages of people at risk for developing both kinds of disorders vary from study to study. In a study of 114 women with bulimia nervosa, researchers at the University of Canterbury found that 64% also experienced anxiety disorders.¹ At the Northside Clinic Eating Disorders Unit in Sydney Australia, researchers found that 21% of patients with either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa also had obsessive-compulsive disorder.² A study in Russia of 1500 patients with either anorexia or bulimia found that a startling 95% also had "obsessive-phobic" disorders.³ Other studies report findings somewhere in the same range of percentages. In addition, most studies found that anxiety disorders came before eating disorders in the majority of cases.

If You Have an Anxiety Disorder . . .

If you have an anxiety disorder, you should be aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders. Left untreated, eating disorders will worsen and may become life-threatening. In addition, an untreated eating disorder may make recovery from your anxiety disorder all the more difficult and even impossible.

The following documents and websites may help you understand eating disorders as well as what you can do about them. Also, some of these articles further explain the connection between eating disorders and anxiety disorders.

• Eating Disorders Warning Signs: From the National Eating Disorders Organization, this document briefly and clearly explains warning signs for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
• The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders: This website is a wealth of information and support for people with eating disorders. It goes beyond the basic definitions of eating disorders to include research, personal experience and much more. It includes information on phobias and eating disorders. There is also much information on the dangers of eating disorders as well as treatments for eating disorders. Many parts of this site have been translated into Spanish. An excellent site.

If You Have an Eating Disorder . . .

If you have an eating disorder, you might want to read more about the different anxiety disorders. You also should discuss the possibility of an underlying anxiety disorder with your doctor. Proper diagnosis and treatment of an underlying anxiety disorder could help immensely in treating your eating disorder.

The following documents have introductory information on the different anxiety disorders:

• Agoraphobia
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Specific Phobias

The bottom line is to communicate with your doctor about all symptoms and concerns whether your primary condition is an anxiety disorder or an eating disorder. Learn about the symptoms of each, and learn to be aware of changes in your own behavior.

Footnotes
¹Bulik CM, Sullivan PF, Carter FA, Joyce PR (1996). Lifetime anxiety disorders in women with bulimia nervosa. Compr Psychiatry, 37(5): 368-374.
²Thornton C ,Russell J (1997). Obsessive compulsive comorbidity in the dieting disorders. Int J Eat Disord, 21(1): 83-87.
³Tsivil'ko MA, Korkina MV, Briukhin AE, Bushenina SD, Lineva TIu (1997). Obsessive-phobic disorders in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Zh Nevropatol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 97(3): 16-19.