Do anorectic men share personality traits with opiate dependent men?
Background: Eating disorders (ED) and substance use disorders (SUD) display clinical and psychodynamic analogies. The co-diagnosis of a substance use disorder in male ED patients is frequent. Nevertheless, knowledge about the mutual predisposing factors or personality analogies is currently scarce and hypotheses are controversial. Methods: The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to assess 21 anorectic men, 79 heroin-dependent men, and 75 control men matched for age and education. Results: Anorectic and opiate-addicted patients displayed higher Harm Avoidance and lower Self-directedness and Cooperativeness. Anorectic men displayed lower Reward Dependence and higher Persistence. Opiate addicts had higher Novelty Seeking and Self-transcendence. Discussion: Anorectic and heroin-dependent subjects share personality traits related to anxiety, fearfulness and antisocial features. Nevertheless, the personality profile does not completely overlap and this could influence the choi
