Rapid and Slow Responders to Eating Disorder Treatment: A Comparison on Clinically Relevant Variables.

Rapid and slow responders to eating disorder treatment: A comparison on clinically relevant variables.

Int J Eat Disord. 2013 Apr 12;
McFarlane TL, Macdonald DE, Royal S, Olmsted MP

OBJECTIVE: Speed of response to eating disorder treatment is a reliable predictor of relapse, with rapid response predicting improved outcomes. This study investigated whether rapid, slow, and nonresponders could be differentiated on clinically relevant variables, and possibly identified prior to treatment. METHOD: Female patients (N = 181) were classified as rapid, slow, or nonresponders based on the speed and magnitude with which they interrupted their bingeing and/or vomiting symptoms, and were compared on eating disorder behaviors and psychopathology and general psychopathology. RESULTS: The rapid response group was marginally older and had a slightly shorter course of treatment than the slow response group. The rapid response group also had significantly fewer pretreatment binge episodes, and a longer course of treatment than the nonresponse group. However, the three response groups were not significantly different on any other examined variables. DISCUSSION: The only pretreatment variable that differentiated response groups was symptom frequency, in that rapid responders had fewer binge episodes than nonresponders. No pre-existing variables differentiated rapid and slow response. Given that few individual pre-existing differences that might account for speed of response were identified, the clinical importance of facilitating a rapid response to treatment for all patients is discussed. © 2013 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. HubMed – eating

Neuropsychology of eating disorders: 1995-2012.

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2013; 9: 415-30
Jáuregui-Lobera I

Eating disorders are considered psychiatric pathologies that are characterized by pathological worry related to body shape and weight. The lack of progress in treatment development, at least in part, reflects the fact that little is known about the pathophysiologic mechanisms that account for the development and persistence of eating disorders. The possibility that patients with eating disorders have a dysfunction of the central nervous system has been previously explored; several studies assessing the relationship between cognitive processing and certain eating behaviors have been conducted. These studies aim to achieve a better understanding of the pathophysiology of such diseases. The aim of this study was to review the current state of neuropsychological studies focused on eating disorders. This was done by means of a search process covering three relevant electronic databases, as well as an additional search on references included in the analyzed papers; we also mention other published reviews obtained by handsearching. HubMed – eating

Two diagnoses become one? Rare case report of anorexia nervosa and Cushing’s syndrome.

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2013; 9: 431-5
Sawicka N, Gryczy?ska M, Sowi?ski J, Tamborska-Zedlewska M, Rucha?a M

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis impairment in anorexia nervosa is marked by hypercortisolemia, and psychiatric disorders occur in the majority of patients with Cushing’s syndrome. Here we report a patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa who also developed Cushing’s syndrome. A 26-year-old female had been treated for anorexia nervosa since she was 17 years old, and also developed depression and paranoid schizophrenia. She was admitted to the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Internal Medicine with a preliminary diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. Computed tomography revealed a 27 mm left adrenal tumor, and she underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. She was admitted to hospital 6 months after this procedure, at which time she did not report any eating or mood disorder. This is a rare case report of a patient with anorexia nervosa in whom Cushing’s syndrome was subsequently diagnosed. Diagnostic difficulties were caused by the signs and symptoms presenting in the course of both disorders, ie, hypercortisolemia, osteoporosis, secondary amenorrhea, striae, hypokalemia, muscle weakness, and depression. HubMed – eating