How Are Orthorexia Nervosa and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Related?

What you need to know

• Polish university students showed higher levels of orthorexia nervosa (ON) symptoms and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms compared to Italian students.
• Students with higher ON levels exhibited higher OCD symptoms, but the correlation was relatively weak.
• ON appears to be partially independent from OCD, suggesting they may be distinct conditions with some overlapping features.

Orthorexia Nervosa and Its Relationship to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a condition characterized by an obsessive focus on eating foods perceived as healthy. While not currently recognized as an official eating disorder diagnosis, ON has gained increasing attention from researchers and clinicians. One key question is how ON relates to other mental health conditions, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

This study aimed to examine the relationship between ON and OCD symptoms in university students from two different countries - Poland and Italy. The researchers were interested in exploring potential cross-cultural differences as well as the overall association between ON and OCD traits.

Comparing ON and OCD Symptoms Across Cultures

The study included 286 Polish university students and 320 Italian university students. All participants completed questionnaires assessing ON symptoms, OCD symptoms, obsessive beliefs, and perfectionism traits.

Some key findings from the cross-cultural comparison:

• Polish students scored higher on measures of ON symptoms compared to Italian students
• Polish students also showed higher levels of OCD symptoms, obsessive beliefs, and perfectionism traits
• Italian students scored higher on the “obsessing” subscale of OCD symptoms

These results suggest there may be cultural differences in the prevalence and presentation of ON and related traits. The authors theorize this could be due to factors like differences in food culture between the two countries. For example, the Mediterranean diet common in Italy may be protective against developing overly rigid eating habits.

Relationship Between ON and OCD Symptoms

To examine the association between ON and OCD, the researchers compared students with high vs. low ON scores:

• Students with higher ON levels exhibited higher OCD symptoms overall
• This pattern held true for both Polish and Italian students
• However, the correlations between ON and OCD measures were relatively weak (correlation coefficients mostly between 0.1-0.3)

The weak correlations suggest ON and OCD are at least partially independent from each other. In other words, while there is some overlap, ON does not appear to simply be a subtype of OCD. The authors conclude ON and OCD are likely distinct conditions that share some common features.

Perfectionism and ON

The study also found weak to moderate correlations between ON symptoms and perfectionism traits, particularly in the Italian sample. Specifically, ON was associated with setting excessively high personal standards and being overly concerned with mistakes.

This aligns with other research showing perfectionism may be a risk factor for developing ON. The rigid thinking and high standards seen in perfectionism could contribute to an unhealthy obsession with “perfect” eating.

Conclusions

• ON symptoms appear to be more prevalent among Polish university students compared to Italian students, suggesting cultural factors may influence ON risk.
• While ON and OCD share some overlapping features, the weak correlations suggest they are partially independent conditions.
• Perfectionism traits show a moderate association with ON symptoms and may be a potential risk factor.

This study adds to our understanding of ON and its relationship to other mental health conditions. The findings support conceptualizing ON as a distinct condition, rather than simply a subtype of OCD or eating disorders. However, more research is still needed to fully understand the nature of ON and determine appropriate diagnostic criteria and treatments.

The cross-cultural differences observed also highlight the importance of considering cultural context when studying ON. Factors like food culture, health trends, and societal values around eating may all influence how ON manifests in different populations.

For clinicians, these results suggest it may be helpful to screen for OCD symptoms in patients showing signs of ON, as there appears to be some comorbidity. However, ON should not be assumed to be the same as OCD, and may require distinct treatment approaches. Further research on effective interventions for ON is still needed.