Life beyond the eating disorder: Education, relationships, and reproduction

We investigated sociodemographic characteristics in women with and without lifetime eating disorders

Association of Candidate Genes with Phenotypic Traits Relevant to Anorexia Nervosa

This analysis is a follow-up to an earlier investigation of 182 genes selected as likely candidate genetic variations conferring susceptibility to anorexia nervosa (AN). As those initial case-control results revealed no statistically significant differences in single nucleotide polymorphisms, herein we investigate alternative phenotypes associated with AN. In 1762 females using regression analyses we examined: (1) lowest illness-related attained body mass index; (2) age at menarche; (3) drive for thinness; (4) body dissatisfaction; (5) trait anxiety; (6) concern over mistakes; and (7) the anticipatory worry and pessimism vs. uninhibited optimism subscale of the harm avoidance scale. After controlling for multiple comparisons, no statistically significant results emerged. Although results must be viewed in the context of limitations of statistical power, the approach illustrates a means of potentially identifying genetic variants conferring susceptibility to AN because less complex phenotypes associated with AN are more proximal to the genotype and may be influenced by fewer genes

Sexual Functioning in Women with Eating Disorders

To describe sexual functioning in women with eating disorders

Impulse control disorders in women with eating disorders

We compared symptom patterns, severity of illness, and comorbidity in individuals with eating disorders with and without impulse control disorders (ICD), and documented the temporal pattern of illness onset. Lifetime ICD were present in 16.6% of 709 women with a history of eating disorders. the most common syndromes were compulsive buying disorder and kleptomania. ICD occurred more in individuals with binge eating subtypes, and were associated with significantly greater use of laxatives, diuretics, appetite suppressants and fasting, and with greater body image disturbance, higher harm avoidance, neuroticism, cognitive impulsivity, and lower self-directedness. in addition, individuals with ICD were more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, any anxiety disorder, specific phobia, depression, cluster B personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and to use psychoactive substances. Among those with ICD, 62% reported the ICD predated the eating disorder and 45% reported the onset of both disorders within the same 3-year window. the presence of a lifetime ICD appears to be limited to eating disorders marked by binge eating and to be associated with worse eating-related psychopathology, more pathological personality traits, and more frequent comorbid Axis I and 11 conditions. Untreated ICD may complicate recovery from eating disorders. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Univ N Carolina, Dept Psychiat, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USAUniv Hosp Bellvitge, Dept Psychiat, Barcelona, SpainInst Salud Carlos III, Ciber Fisiopatol Obesidad & Nutr CB06 03, Madrid, SpainUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Psiquiat, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Pittsburgh, Dept Psychiat, Pittsburgh, PA USAUniv Penn, Ctr Neurobiol & Behav, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USAUniv Minnesota, Dept Psychiat, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USAUniv Munich, D-80539 Munich, GermanyCornell Univ, Weill Med Coll, New York Presbyterian Hosp, Westchester Div, White Plains, NY USAToronto Hosp, Dept Psychiat, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, CanadaUniv Iowa, Dept Psychol, Iowa City, IA 52242 USANeuropsychiat Res Inst, Fargo, ND USAUniv Pisa, Dept Psychiat Pharmacol & Biotechnol, Pisa, ItalyUniv Calif Los Angeles, David Geffen Sch Med, Semel Inst Neurosci & Human Behav, Los Angeles, CA USAUniv Calif Los Angeles, David Geffen Sch Med, Resnick Neuropsychiat Hosp, Los Angeles, CA USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Psiquiat, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Patterns of menstrual disturbance in eating disorders

Objective: To describe menstrual disturbance in eating disorders (ED).Method: We describe menstrual history in 1,705 women and compare eating, weight, and psychopathological traits across menstrual groups.Results: Menstrual dysfunction occurred across all eating disorder subtypes. Individuals with normal menstrual history and primary amenorrhea reported the highest and lowest lifetime body mass index (BMI), respectively. Normal menstruation and oligomenorrhea groups reported greater binge eating, vomiting, and appetite suppressant use. Amenorrhea was associated with lower caloric intake and higher exercise. Harm avoidance, novelty seeking, perfectionism, and obsessionality discriminated among menstrual status groups. No differences in comorbid Axis I and II disorders were observed.Conclusion: Menstrual dysfunction is not limited to any eating disorder subtype. BMI, caloric intake, and exercise were strongly associated with menstrual function. Menstrual status is not associated with comorbidity. Menstrual irregularity is an associated feature of all ED rather than being restricted to AN only. (c) 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Univ N Carolina, Dept Psychiat, Neurosci Hosp, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Psiquiat, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Pittsburgh, Dept Psychiat, Med Ctr, Western Psychiat Inst & Clin, Pittsburgh, PA USAMichigan State Univ, Dept Psychol, E Lansing, MI 48824 USAUniv Penn, Ctr Neurobiol & Behav, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USASheppard Pratt Hlth Syst, Ctr Eating Disorders, Towson, MD USAUniv Minnesota, Dept Psychiat, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USAUniv Munich, Dept Psychiat, Munich, GermanyRoseneck Hosp Behav Med, Prien Am Chiemsee, GermanyNIAAA, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852 USANew York Presbyterian Hosp, Westchester Div, Weill Cornell Med Coll, White Plains, NY USALaureate Psychiat Clin & Hosp, Tulsa, OK USAUniv Toronto, Toronto Gen Hosp, Dept Psychiat, Univ Hlth Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, CanadaUniv Iowa, Dept Psychol, Iowa City, IA 52242 USANeuropsychiat Res Inst, Fargo, ND USAUniv N Dakota, Sch Med & Hlth Sci, Dept Clin Neurosci, Grand Forks, ND 58201 USAUniv Pisa, Dept Psychiat Pharmacol & Biotechnol, Pisa, ItalyUniv Calif Los Angeles, David Geffen Sch Med, Semel Inst Neurosci & Human Behav, Los Angeles, CA USAUniv Calif Los Angeles, David Geffen Sch Med, Resnick Neurpsychiat Hosp, Los Angeles, CA USAKings Coll London, Inst Psychiat, London WC2R 2LS, EnglandUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Psiquiat, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc