2013 : a year of change for Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia , Bulimia , and Obesity (original) (raw)

Eating Disorders: Progress and Challenges

European Journal of Internal Medicine, 2011

Background: Eating disorders are common health problems afflicting mainly female adolescents and young women. They are associated with important physical health and psychosocial morbidity, and carry increased risk of death. Their cause is not yet completely understood and their management is complex, with some patients resisting all available treatments. Aims of this review: To provide the readers with an update regarding our knowledge and understanding of eating disorders. Methods: Medline database has been used for searching articles on eating disorders published since 1980. The key words used were eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. Professional books published during this period has been also reviewed. Conclusions: In the last 30 years a substantial improvement has been achieved both in the understanding and management of eating disorders, but many problems still need to be resolved. Three principal priorities should be addressed. First, the actual classification of eating disorders should be revised, since about half the cases seen in clinical practice receive a diagnosis of eating disorder not otherwise specified, and it is common to observe a migration between eating disorder diagnoses. Second, the research on pathogenesis should better clarify the exact role of genetic and environmental risk factors, and how they interact and vary across the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Third, there is an urgent need both to disseminate the few evidence-based treatments available, and to develop more potent treatments for all the eating disorder diagnostic categories.

Eating Disorder Research in the Past Decade

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1996

Current concepts of the eating disorders are reflected in the changing classification of these disorders, which in turn reflects the research of the past decade. Research in the past decade has also provided substantial evidence that the eating disorders are best understood within the conceptual frame of a multidimensional model. The numerous treatment approaches for the eating disorders reflect the various categories within this multidimensional model. This article addresses three major topics: classification of the eating disorders, the multidimensional conceptualization of eating disorders, and treatment studies. CLASSIFICATION OF EATING DISORDERS The three criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) proposed by Russell more than 20 years ago are stilled embedded in the latest DMS-IV criteria.' These criteria are: (a) refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, (b) intense fear of gaining weight, and (4 amenorrhea-the

Eating disorders - anorexia as an interdisciplinary problem

2019

Eating disorders are a serious medical and social problems. The most commonly recognized eating disorders are anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa, now classified as a behavioral disorders. Anorexia nervosa is a disease involving intentional body weight reduction, distorted body image and the dysmorphophobia, often with concomitant depression and social withdrawal. Understanding anorexia is not only limited to a food or a body weight. Underlying disorders include: emotional issues, undetermined identity, a negative self-image, etc. AN has a reported prevalence in woman of 0,5-1%, and 0.05-0.1% in men. Prevalence rate among polish girls under 18 years old is 0.8%-1.8%. 113 The etiology of this disorder is multifactorial and unclear. The predisposing factors include: genetic factors, personality disorders, specific family patterns (overprotection, avoiding conflicts) and high economic status. Diagnosis of AN is a challenge. Symptomatology is variable, including: behavior changes, psychological and somatic symptoms, specific biochemical and hormonal abnormalities. A treatment is multidisciplinary and multi-stage, comprising: (1) the life saving therapy (prevention of dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and cachexia), (2) restoration of normal body weight, (3) adjuvant pharmacotherapy, (4) psychotherapy. The efficacy of treatment is unsatisfactory. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental disorders: after 15-20 years the mortality prevalence rate is 19-20%, mainly as a result of cardiovascular complications and suicides.

Research on eating disorders: current status and future prospects

Biological Psychiatry, 2000

Both basic behavioral neuroscientists and clinical investigators met in an effort to integrate areas of research and foster collaborations. Considerable advances have been made in understanding the neuroendocrinological mechanisms that regulate appetite and food intake. These achievements are in sharp contrast with the limited progress in elucidating the pathogenesis of EDs and developing effective treatment and preventive interventions. Anorexia nervosa remains a highly morbid condition with the highest mortality of any other psychiatric disorder. Besides acute refeeding techniques, no specific interventions have been proven effective in changing the long-term course of anorexia nervosa. Efficacious treatments exist for bulimia nervosa, but their underutilization calls for research on translating experimental findings into clinical practice. Closer interface between neuroscientists and clinical researchers is required for advancing our understanding of ED pathogenesis and developing effective treatments. Recent studies are suggestive of a substantial genetic contribution to EDs that deserves further investigation. Finally, there is an urgent need to examine risk and protective factors for EDs, on which safe and effective prevention can be built. Biol Psychiatry 2000;47:777-786

Review of the prevalence and incidence of eating disorders

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2003

Objective: To review the literature on the incidence and prevalence of eating disorders. Methods: We searched Medline using several key terms relating to epidemiology and eating disorders and we checked the reference lists of the articles that we found. Special attention has been paid to methodologic problems affecting the selection of populations under study and the identification of cases. Results: An average prevalence rate for anorexia nervosa of 0.3% was found for young females. The prevalence rates for bulimia nervosa were 1% and 0.1% for young women and young men, respectively. The estimated prevalence of binge eating disorder is at least 1%. The incidence of anorexia nervosa is 8 cases per 100,000 population per year and the incidence of bulimia nervosa is 12 cases per 100,000 population per year. The incidence of anorexia nervosa increased over the past century, until the 1970s. Discussion: Only a minority of people who meet stringent diagnostic criteria for eating disorders are seen in mental health care. # 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 34: 383-396, 2003.