Lifetime comorbidity of alcohol dependence and bulimia nervosa in women

• Women with bulimia nervosa (BN) are more likely to have alcohol dependence (AD).• Women with both BN and AD are more likely to have additional psychopathology than women with BN only.• Most previous studies used clinical samples, which could limit generalizability.• Most previous studies did not include a comparison group with AD and no BN. It is possible that the excess psychopathology seen in women with AD+BN is associated with their AD diagnosis.