Prevalence of night eating in obese individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Abstract

The prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) in the general population is estimated to be 1.5%, however, the rates among individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are not yet established. This study sought to examine the frequency and correlates of NES-related behaviors in a sample of obese patients with schizophrenia. One-hundred outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders completed the self-report Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) and were then interviewed as a follow-up for the specific assessment of NES. Based on a diagnostic interview, 12% of this sample met full criteria for NES, with an additional 10% meeting partial criteria for NES. Based on the NEQ alone, 8% met full criteria with an additional 8% meeting partial criteria. Night eating behaviors were associated with increased insomnia and depression. Our findings suggest that screening for NES among patients with serious mental illness may efficiently identify a subgroup with additional clinical needs.

The prevalence and clinical features of the night eating syndrome in psychiatric out-patient population

“…The prevalence of NES is high among those with psychiatric disorders [5,6], particularly in those with bulimia nervosa [24], sleep disorders [22] and schizophrenia [9]. We found no relationship between these psychiatric diagnosis and NES in our psychiatric outpatient sample.…”

“…Lundgren and colleagues found that 12.3% of psychiatric patients met criteria for NES [5], a rate that is significantly higher than the prevalence of NES in the general population [2] and similar to the prevalence of NES among obese samples which is 6-16% [3]. Higher prevalence of major depressive disorder [7,10,11], anxiety disorders [11], schizophrenia [6,9] and substance use disorders [5] is noted among persons with NES compared with controls. There may be a reciprocal relationship between NES and psychopathology.…”

“…Within this population, based on a diagnostic interview, 22.4% met the criteria for NES. When we analyzed the frequencies of NES in psychiatric patients and methods of studies as shown in Table 1, compatible with the literature, the frequencies of NES with self-report of NEQ waeres higher than clinical diagnosis [9]. The difference between the studies may be related to the employment of different diagnostic criteria and methods.…”

“…The difference between the studies may be related to the employment of different diagnostic criteria and methods. Palmese et al speculate that major discrepancy between the interview and NEQ may be related to poor understanding and/or misinterpretation of some questions by some patients with schizophrenia [9].…”

“…There are few studies in the literature that have studied the presence of NES in psychiatric outpatients [5][6][7][8][9]. The frequencies of NES in psychiatric patients and methods of studies are shown in Table 1.…”