Prevalence of eating disorders

How many Finns are suffering from eating disorders? What kind of factors predict eating disorders and which factors protect against them? How do twins suffering from eating disorders differ from their normal co-twins? How much does different genotypes and enviromental factors effect in eating disorders? To answer these and many more questions, we designed the study of prevalence of eating disorders.

Men and women suffering from eating disorders were screened from the {Finntwin16] data with 25-year-old questionnaire. Persons who filled out in the 25-year-old questionnaire they had symptoms from eating disorders were invited to participate the study. They were interviewed on the telephone with the SCID interview and they also were asked to fill out a new questionnaire. On the interview questions about symptoms of depression, anorexia, bulimia and BED were asked. Both DSM-IV diagonses and other clinically significant symptoms were then coded into a separate diagnose database.

MD Anu Raevuori, Seija Erikkilä, MD Anna Keski-Rahkonen and MD Elina Sihvola have been interviewing the twins. MD Mikael Riska interviewed all men suffering from eating disorders. All interviewers have a great amount of clinical experience of diagnostics of eating disorders with additional orientation to SCID interview techniques.

Among others, following articles have been published from this study:

Keski-Rahkonen A, Hoek HW, Linna MS, Raevuori A, Sihvola E, Bulik CM, Rissanen A, Kaprio J. Incidence and outcomes of bulimia nervosa: a nationwide population-based study. Psychol Med. 2009 May;39(5):823-31.

Keski-Rahkonen A, Hoek HW, Susser ES, Linna MS, Sihvola E, Raevuori A, Bulik CM, Kaprio J, Rissanen A. Epidemiology and Course of Anorexia Nervosa in the Community. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Aug;164(8):1259-65.

Keski-Rahkonen A, Sihvola E, Raevuori A, Kaukoranta J, Bulik CM, Hoek HW, Rissanen A, Kaprio J. Reliability of self-reported eating disorders: Optimizing population screening. Int J Eat Disord. 2006 Dec;39(8):754-62.

Raevuori A, Hoek HW, Susser E, Kaprio J, Rissanen A, Keski-Rahkonen A. Epidemiology of anorexia nervosa in men: a nationwide study of Finnish twins. PLoS One. 2009;4(2):e4402.

Raevuori A, Kaprio J, Hoek HW, Sihvola E, Rissanen A, Keski-Rahkonen A. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa in same-sex and opposite-sex twins: lack of association with twin type in a nationwide study of Finnish twins. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;165(12):1604-10.