• Finn Skårderud and Bente Sommerfeldt.
• Avdeling for helse- og sosialfag, Høgskolen i Lillehammer, 2626 Lillehammer. finns@online.no
• Tidsskr. Nor. Laegeforen. 2009 Apr 30; 129 (9): 877-81.

BackgroundThe aim of this article is to give an overview over the associations between self-harm and eating disorders, and to present theoretical models to interpret such associations. Common phenomenological characteristics between these conditions are emphasized.Material And MethodsThe article is based on a non-systematic literature search of Medline, PsychInfo and EMBASE (1985 - 2008) and the authors' own archive.ResultsEmpirical studies confirm a strong association between self-harm and eating disorders. Reported prevalence of self-harm among patients with eating disorders vary between 13 and 68 %. A higher prevalence has been reported for patients with bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa binge-type than among patients with anorexia nervosa restrictive type. Possible common factors are impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive traits, dissociation, negative self-evaluation, trauma, high conflict level in the family environment and sensitivity for cultural trends.InterpretationSelf-harm and eating disorder represent disturbed regulation of affects, and both practices can be interpreted as attempts of active coping.

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