The prevalence of binge eating disorder and borderline personality symptomatology among gastric surgery patients

In this study, we examined the prevalence of binge eating disorder (BED) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a sample of 121 candidates seeking surgery for obesity. In this predominantly female sample (85.9%), according to the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R), the prevalence of BED was 6.5%. As for the prevalence of BPD, 14.0% exceeded the clinical cut-off score on the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI), 14.0% exceeded the clinical cut-off score on the borderline personality scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4), and 7.4% exceeded the clinical cut-off score on the McLean Screening Inventory for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD). Overall, 24.8% of the sample exceeded the clinical cut-off on at least one measure of BPD whereas only 3.3% exceeded the clinical cut-off on all three measures. In addition, there was a significant inverse relationship between the discrepancy between highest and lowest adult body mass index, and scores on the PDQ-4 and the MSI-BPD. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.