Delusionality of body image beliefs in eating disorders

Abstract

Preoccupation with body shape and weight is characteristic of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Despite their diagnostic and clinical significance, evidence on the nature of the underlying beliefs is relatively scarce. We used the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS) to assess the degree of delusionality of body image beliefs in seventy-two participants: 39 with anorexia and 33 with bulimia nervosa. We also investigated the relationship between body image delusionality and other clinical characteristics in eating disorders. Only patients with anorexia nervosa (28.8%) had delusional body image beliefs, whereas overvalued ideas appeared to be frequent in both anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Body image delusionality in anorexia nervosa was associated with restrictive eating pathology, early onset of the disorder and body dissatisfaction, whereas in the bulimia group it was linked to shorter duration of the illness, more intense dieting behaviors and specific psychological factors: ineffectiveness and maturity fears. Results suggest that a delusional variant of anorexia nervosa represents the one end of a continuum of insight among patients with eating disorders. Categorization of patients with eating disorders based on the level of delusionality of body image beliefs could facilitate further research on the role of insight deficits in these disorders.