Monday, April 11, 2005

Eating disorders common among people in substance abuse treatment Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Clinicians need to be aware of the high rate of eating disorders among both women and men who are in treatment for substance abuse problems, according to a recent article in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. Among 1,613 people who were seeking treatment for substance use disorders at a large metropolitan addiction treatment centre, 2.6 percent of men and 7.4 percent of women also currently had anorexia nervosa, and 1.5 percent of men and 7.6 percent of women had bulimia nervosa. Among individuals with eating disorders, 59 percent also had depression and 36 percent had social phobia. Individuals with eating disorders used a greater number of substances and experienced more negative results related to substance abuse."