Clinical reports indicate that 5-9% of adolescents injure themselves deliberately (2). Studies of self-injurious behavior point to higher rates in patients with personality disorders, mental retardation or eating disorder (deliberate self-harm /DSH/ is present by 30-40%). We are examining the relation between DSH and pain and body image perception (BIP) in ED patients. An elevated pain threshold is consistent finding in eating disorders (1).

Body image perception and dissatisfaction is measured by software Anamorphic Micro, Body attitude test (BAT) and Somatoform dissociation questionnaire (SDQ-20). We diagnosed the comorbidity with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Pain threshold latencies for thermal stimuli were measured using the Analgesia meter (IITC Life science USA-Model 33) under mental arithmetic stress and rest conditions.

Our preliminary data include comparison of 3 groups (ED /n=20/, ED with DSH /10/, controls /20/) were age, BMI, illness duration and diagnoses matched. 10 patients from the total of 93 were displaying DSH in the past. The ED-DSH group didn't show any differences in pain threshold from the controls (contrary to ED), but we found that the stress analgesia of the ED-DSH group was significantly lower than controls (p=0,01) and ED (p=0,03). Dissatisfaction characteristics from Anamorphic Micro correlated with BAT (r=-0,82; p=0,007) but not significantly with SDQ-20.

We found lower stress analgesia in ED-DSH group and we suppose that further pain and body perception studies are promising for understanding neuropathophysiology in ED.