212 Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci - Vol. 48 - No 3 (2011) Night Eating Syndrome Among Patients With Depression Fatma Özlem Orhan, MD, 1 Ufuk Güney Özer, MD, 2 Ali Özer, MD, 3 Özlem Altunören, MD, 4 Mustafa Çelik, MD, 5 and Mehmet Fatih Karaaslan, MD 1 1 Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University Medical Faculty, Psychiatry Department, Kahramanmaras, Turkey 2 Anatolian Medical Centre, Family Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey 3 Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University Medical Faculty, Public Health, Kahramanmaras, Turkey 4 Kahramanmaras State Hospital, Psychiatry Department, Kahramanmaras, Turkey 5 Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University Medical Faculty, Family Medicine, Kahramanmaras, Turkey ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the rate of night eating syndrome (NES) in a depressed population. Method: The study sample was composed of 162 depressed patients and 172 healthy control participants. Results: The rates of night eating in our sample with depression (35.2%) was higher as compared with healthy control participants (19.2%) (p < .05). In addition, in the depression group, the rate of NES-positive patients did not differ in accordance with body mass index (BMI) classification (p > .05). However, in the control group, the rate of NES-positive patients was significantly different with regard to BMI classification, and NES diagnosis was highest in the obese members of the control group (p < .05). Multiple logistic regression analysis was then used to evaluate the relationships of four variables – depression, gender, education status and BMI – with the diagnosis of NES. Results showed that significant independent predictors of NES were depression ( β = 2.64; p = .001; 95% confidence interval = 1.52-4.57); male gender (β = 2.34; p = .002, 95% confidence interval = 1.37-4.03); and a BMI of 25 or greater (β = 1.83; p = .022; 95% confidence interval = 1.09-3.08). Discussion: This is the first study to find that depressed patients are at a significantly greater risk for NES. Depression, male gender and BMI may account for the high rate of NES found in this population. Address for Correspondence: Fatma Özlem Orhan, MD, Assistant Professor, Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 46100 Kahramanmaras, Turkey. fozlemorhan@yahoo.com BACKGROUND Night eating syndrome (NES) is emerging as a potential candidate for a new eating disorder diagnosis. It was first described in 1955 by Stunkard and colleagues (1) in obese outpatients, but it was largely neglected for 30 years. However, interest in NES has slowly reemerged. Night eating syndrome is characterized by a delay in the circadian pattern of food intake that is manifested by evening hyperphagia (i.e., the consumption of ≥25% of the total daily food intake aſter the evening meal) and nocturnal awakenings accompanied by the ingestion of food (2). e defining features of NES have been iden- tified as evening hyperphagia, morning anorexia, and sleep disturbance (3). Despite recent advances, the field has lacked a stan- dardized research diagnostic criteria set. On April 26, 2008, the First International Night Eating Symposium was held at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; the goals of this symposium were to share research find- ings among eating and sleep disorder experts and to develop research diagnostic criteria for NES (4). ese aims were accomplished, and the proposed criteria have recently been peer reviewed and published. Proposed research diagnostic criteria for NES (4) e First International Night Eating Symposium brought together expert investigators in this area, who reached a consensus regarding a set of provisional diag- nostic criteria for the condition: e daily pattern of eating demonstrates a signifi- A. cantly increased intake in the evening and/or night- time, as manifested by one or both of the following: Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci - Vol. 48 - No 3 (2011)