Abstract
Eating Disorders (ED) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) commonly occur. In fact, approximately 50% of individuals with an ED report abusing alcohol or an illicit substance. Given the high rates of co-occurrence of ED and SUD, it is important to understand the connection between these disorders to guide prevention and treatment efforts. This chapter reviews shared etiological factors connecting ED and SUD. More specifically, neurobiological and candidate gene studies independently exploring SUD and ED suggest that similar genetic variants in both the dopamine and serotonin systems might influence ED-SUD comorbidity. Connections between ED and SUD are accounted for by shared characteristics related to reward sensitivity, impulsivity, executive function deficits, and emotion dysregulation. Additional shared risk factors include stress, environment, and trauma. These shared etiological factors highlight the importance of treating transdiagnostic mechanisms that contribute to both ED and SUD. Interventions that target the reward system, temperament, emotion regulation, and stressor-related symptoms are all essential to this work.
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Abbreviations
- 5-HIAA:
-
Serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid
- 5-HT:
-
Serotonin
- ACC:
-
Anterior cingulate cortex
- ACE:
-
Adverse childhood event
- ACT:
-
Acceptance and commitment therapy
- AN:
-
Anorexia nervosa
- AN-BP:
-
Anorexia nervosa, binge/purge type
- AN-R:
-
Anorexia nervosa, restricting type
- AUD:
-
Alcohol use disorder
- BED:
-
Binge-eating disorder
- BN:
-
Bulimia nervosa
- CBT:
-
Cognitive behavioral therapy
- CSF:
-
Cerebrospinal fluid
- DA:
-
Dopamine
- DBT:
-
Dialectical behavior therapy
- DSM-5:
-
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition
- ED:
-
Eating disorder
- ED-SUD:
-
Persons with comorbid ED and substance use disorder
- ER:
-
Emotion regulation
- MBRP:
-
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention
- OBE:
-
Objective binge episode
- OSFED:
-
Other specified feeding or eating disorder
- PTSD:
-
Posttraumatic stress disorder
- SUD:
-
Substance use disorder
- UFED:
-
Unspecified feeding or eating disorder
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Claudat, K., Simpson, C.C., Bohrer, B.K., Bongiornio, G.M. (2022). The Connection Between Eating Disorders and Substance Use Disorders. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Eating Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_16-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_16-1
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