Personality characteristics of females seeking treatment for obesity, bulimia nervosa and alcoholic disorders

The personality traits of 134 female patients, seeking treatment for obesity, bulimia nervosa and alcoholism in Stockholm were assessed with the KSP personality inventory. The results indicate that the personality traits of women seeking treatment for obese, bulimic and alcoholic problems are very similar. Compared to the population average, they were more anti-social, more psychastenic and were also more anxiety prone. The obese subjects showed a similar personality profile as the bulimic and alcoholic women, but differed less drastically from the population average. This supports the conclusion that different types of eating and drinking disorders are associated with similar personality traits.