Bulimia with and without a family history of depressive illness

Patients evaluated in an eating disorders clinic and diagnosed as having bulimia by DSM-III criteria were classified into two groups: those with a family history of affective disorder in at least one first-degree (N = 111) and those without that history (N = 164). These two groups were then compared on several variables. Patients in the positive family history group were significantly more likely to have been treated previously for depression, to report problems in functioning (financial, social, work) and to endorse reasons for binge-eating suggestive of depressive symptoms (unhappiness, insomnia, tension and anxiety). However, the two groups were similar as to level of depression on the Hamilton Rating Scale and the severity of their eating problems.