Munich ED-Quest

The Munich ED-Quest covers attitudes and behaviours frequently found in eating disordered individuals and other symptoms often associated with eating disorders in adolescents and adults aged 12 to 65 years. The questionnaire may be applied in single or group sessions.

• Diagnosis of eating disorders according to DSM-5 (APA, 2013) in clinical therapy. Identification of individual problem areas which should be addressed in therapy. The patient may fill-out the self-rating questionnaire before the first interview.
• Clinical research on the course of eating disorders and the effects and outcome of medical treatment and psychotherapy.
• Screening for eating disorders in epidemiological studies and identification of high-risk groups for eating disorders.

The Munich ED-Quest comprises 65 items. Some items are broken down in several partial items.

For most items the results are coded on a five-point scale ranging from 0 (symptom/problem not present) to 4 (symptom/problem very severely/often present). Additional items ask for the frequency of binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors.

For most items the cross-sectional status (was the symptom present in the last 3 months) and the maximal expression of the symptom in the past is rated by the proband. The past rating will usually cover the time from prepuberty up to 3 months before answering the questionnaire. The present status covers the maximal expression of the symptom/problem area in the last 3 months before filling out the questionnaire.

The following DSM-5 diagnoses (APA, 2013) can be made by the Munich ED-Quest: Anorexia Nervosa (restrictive and binge-eating/purging type), Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Syndrome, Rumination Syndrome, Atypical Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia nervosa of low frequency and/or limited duration, Binge Eating Disorder of low frequency and/or limited duration, Purging Disorder, Purging Disorder according to Keel & Striegel-Moore (2009), and Night Eating Syndrome.

The Munich ED-Quest has several superior characteristics:

1. It covers a wide range of symptoms related to eating disorders.
2. Symptoms are assessed for current and past as well as lifetime
3. Reliability and validity are checked
4. Clinical assessments as well as factor analytic methods were applied resulting in the identification of important areas of psychopathology
5. Besides quantitative information on the severity of eating disorders a solid data base for diagnostic classification according to DSM-5 is provided
6. There exists a standardized algorithm for diagnostic classification of Anorexia Nervosa (restrictive and binge-eating/purging type), Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Syndrome, Rumination Syndrome, Atypical Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia nervosa of low frequency and/or limited duration, Binge Eating Disorder of low frequency and/or limited duration, Purging Disorder, Purging Disorder according to Keel & Striegel-Moore (2009), and Night Eating Syndrome.

About 20 minutes.

Measurement is made at two time points: severity of symptoms in the last three months before assessment (current), and assessment for the past worst status.

In a factor analysis of the Munich ED-Quest the following subscales were identified:

• Preoccupation with Figure and Weight
• Bingeing and Vomiting
• Inappropriate Compensatory Behavior
• Total Score derived from the items of the three subscales.

The same subscale pattern is utilized for the present and past state.

Standardized algorithms for computing sum scores and eating disorder diagnoses are available as paper forms and computer algorithms.

Comparison values and percentile norms of 605 males and females which were treated as in-patients because of their eating disorder, clinical controls (psychosomatic inpatients without eating disorder) as well as data on 547 healthy young women are available. Data on diagnostic subgroups Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are also given.

Objectivity regarding data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of the results are given.

Data on convergent and discriminative construct validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency are available. High diagnostic validity was confirmed by ROC analysis for subscales and comparison of DSM-5 diagnoses with SIAB-EX diagnoses.

Versions of the Munich ED-Quest in English and German language are available for free use in scientific studies and clinical practice. The relevant instruments are listed below:

• Questionnaire
• Subscale Scoring Sheet
• Diagnostic Algorithm according to DSM-5 (present and past)
• Percentile Norm Table

Fichter, M.M., Quadflieg, N., Gierk, B., Voderholzer, U. & Heuser, J. (2015). The Munich Eating and Feeding Disorder Questionnaire (Munich ED-Quest) DSM-5/ICD-10: Validity, Reliability, Sensitivity to Change, and Norms. European Eating Disorder Review, 23, 229 – 240.