Comorbidity studies, conducted mostly in clinical populations, have suggested strong associations between eating disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Very few comorbidity studies have included men and even fewer have reported results for men and women separately.

This study used data collected by Statistics Canada in the Mental Health and Well-being cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey to examine the comorbidity of eating disorders and selected mood, anxiety and substance use disorders in adult men (n=16,773) and women (n=20,211). The Eating Attitude Test (EAT) was used to measure disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. The short form of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-SF) was used to assess 12-month and lifetime prevalence of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. Level of psychological distress was determined using the scale known as K10.

Both men and women who were at risk for eating disorders had significantly elevated odds for major depression, panic disorder, social phobia and psychological distress. The 1-year prevalence of manic episodes, agoraphobia and substance dependence were associated with risk of eating disorders for women but not for men. Being at risk for eating disorders was significantly associated with lifetime depression, manic episodes, panic disorder, agoraphobia and social phobia in women, and with lifetime depression, panic disorder and social phobia in men.

Findings highlight the importance of developing gender-specific short screening instruments and treatment strategies to address the co-occurrence of eating disorders and other psychiatric disorders in both men and women, focusing on disorders shown to be highly associated with eating disorders.