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Research indicates that personality traits within families, such as perfectionism, may influence the occurrence of eating disorders. Data were obtained from a worldwide genetic study on patients with anorexia. Eating disorders were associated with high levels of perfectionism among mothers and daughters.

Five case studies are reported of the response of underweight binge eating/purging-type eating disordered women to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline.

The etiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) is unknown, but is distinguished by restricted eating, the pursuit of thinness and fears of being fat. An open-label trail of olanzapine in agitated and resistant underweight AN patients was undertaken. Olanzapine administration was linked to weight gain, and reduced agitation and resistance to treatment.

Personality disorders (PD) are often sen in symptomatic eating disorders subjects. Women who had recovered from eating disorders were studied to determine if PD symptoms persisted. It was found that recovery from eating disorders may have an attenuating affect on the symptoms of PD, but such PD diagnoses persists after recovery in certain subjects.

Many people with bulimia nervosa (BN) have generalized disturbance of impulse control. The impulsive features among BN patients in Japan were examined. There were similarities between BN patients with multi-impulsivity (MI) in Japan and those with patients in the West, in clinical and psychopathological characteristics.

A range of eating disorders is common among female, but not male, relatives of diagnostically pure bulimia nervosa (BN) probands. This finding arose from research designed to test the hypothesis that a wide range of subclinical eating disorders, rather than pure subtypes, would aggregate among the mothers and sisters of BN probands. It seems likely that there is a familial aggregation of a wide spectrum of eating disorders that goes beyond traditional diagnostic boundaries. A contemporary family-epidemiology study design could maximize the identification of the complete range of eating disorders among family members.

Although there have been treatment advances, many bulimia nervosa (BN) patients do not respond well to psychotherapy alone, or with antidepressants. A factor predicting poor treatment response is the presence of a comorbid cluster B personality disorder. Two case studies are reported where methylphenidate (MPH) was given to patients with BN and cluster B personality disorders. Both responded to MPH with significant reduction in binge and purge frequency and attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD)-like symptoms.

The administration of serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) to underweight anorexics had no effect. A retrospective chart review of the last 40 anorexics was undertaken wherein 24 were given SSRI while 16 were not. The results show that SSRI was not effective in controlling eating disorder symptoms or depression in underweight anorexics. However, recent data shows that SSRI is useful in preventing relapse in weight-restored anorexics.

Subgroups of people with anorexia nervosa are difficult to classify and it is unclear whether anorexics with only purging behaviours should be grouped with people who binge and purge or anorexics who restrict. One of the main difficulties is that anorexics may convert from one subgroup to another during their illness. A study comparing subgroups of inpatients with anorexia nervosa is presented. Its findings suggest that all three subgroups have similar psychopathology regardless of their subtype classification.

A study of 47 women with bulimia nervosa concludes that those with psychiatric disorders, and who come from families with anxiety and substance abuse disorders, are more likely to be substance dependent. It is suggested that first-degree relatives who are vulnerable to instability and impulsivity may contribute to the development of substance dependence in bulimic women.

Anorexic women at three states of illness, namely, underweight, short-term weight restored, and long-term weight restored, were examined for anxiety, depression and obsessionality. Results showed that the three symptoms were most elevated in the underweight state even as they significantly improved with weight restoration. However, milder but significantly elevated symptoms persisted in long-term weight-restored anorexic women. These findings suggest that malnutrition heightens the severity of depression, anxiety, and obsessionality in anorexia nervosa.

Patients suffering from bulimia nervosa are more cognitively impulsive compared to that of the patients suffering from anorexia nervosa; the bulimic subjects respond quickly to the Matching Familiar Figures Test. A reflective cognitive style is observed among the anorexic patients. The treatment becomes uneffective for patients with extreme cognitive styles and the disease can relapse. The bulimic patients are also more behaviorally impulsive compared to the anorexic patients.

The weight gain difference between restrictor and bulimic anorectics was investigated to elucidate the physiological processes underlying weight gain. The results showed that restrictor anorectics gained significantly less weight than their bulimic counterparts, although caloric intake were at similar levels. Weight gain in restrictor anorectics was affected by severity of illness.

A study of 24 patients cured of anorexia nervosa revealed that most of the subjects had suffered childhood anxiety disorders approximately five years prior to the occurrence of anorexia. Clinical treatment of eating disorders can be enhanced by focusing on childhood anxiety disorders as precursors to the onset of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

A behavioral study of 30 anorexia nervosa (AN), 32 bulimia nervosa (BN) and 20 women sufferers of comorbid anorexia and bulimia nervosa (BN) revealed the utility of using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) to accurately distinguish between AN, BN and AB women sufferers. The TPQ subscales precisely ascertained AN sufferers to be more reward dependent, BN sufferers to be high scorers on the novelty subscales and AB women to be extreme harm avoiders.

A comparison of anxiety levels in laxative-abusing bulimics and those who do not use laxatives reveals higher anxiety levels in the laxative-abusing group. Discontinuing the use of laxatives enhances anxiety levels in these patients. Patients attribute the use of laxatives to a desire to shed weight and to oppose the effects of binge eating, though there is lack of clinical data to confirm this theory.

A study of 19 female anorexics using two multidimensional instruments for assessing various aspects of perfectionism revealed underweight, malnourished sufferers of anorexia nervosa to be perfectionistic. The self-imposed trait of perfectionism in anorexics hinders efficient treatment due to their stubborn, obsessive attitudes.

Administration of the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) to 66 women hospitalized for bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa or a combination of the two revealed no conformity in measurements of their psychological defense styles. The inability of multivariate, univariate and qualitative analyses of DSQ data to yield recognizable patterns reveals that the DSQ is not an appropriate instrument to measure the psychological basis of certain eating disorder subtypes. Measurements of temperament are more effective indicators of the pathogenesis of these eating disorder syndromes.

A study was conducted to examine the prevalence of overanxious disorder (OAD) among women with anorexia nervosa (AN). Findings reveal that women with AN engaging in purging behaviors are more likely than those do not purge to have had OAD in childhood.

A study was conducted to examine the genetic variants that affect the risk for anorexia nervosa (AN). Findings reveal the circumstance for the genotyping of the first 200 families.

The question whether abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) that have been observed in sufferers from anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) normalize after the individuals have recovered from the eating disorders is examined.

Patterns of menstrual disturbance in eating disorders are described. Menstrual dysfunction is fund to be not related to any eating disorder but BMI, caloric intake and exercise are strongly associated with menstrual function.

A study explored the traits related with excessive exercise and motor restlessness in women with different types of eating disorders. Results showed the possibility excessive exercise being related with the purging subtype of anorexia nervosa and also with a constellation of anxious/obsessional temperament and personality characteristics among women with eating disorders.

Individuals recovered from anorexia and bulimia nervosa are compared to determine characteristics that are shared by or distinguish eating disorder subtypes. Results reveal that a wide range of symptoms persists after recovery and that they do not differ between subtypes of eating disorder.

A study is conducted on altered brain activity in women with bulimic-type eating disorder after a glucose (GLU) challenge. Women who recovered from bulimic nervosa had reduced activity in response to GLU as compared with the control women.

The relation between vomiting, which is a symptom of eating disorders, and features of eating disorder course related to severity, personality traits, and Axis I and II comorbidity in individuals with purging-type eating disorders is explored. Research suggests that certain clinical and personality variables are responsible in people with purging-type eating disorders with no marked differences found in Axis I and II comorbidity.

A study was conducted to understand the relation between perfectionism and obsessionality and thus be able to identify relevant behavioral endophenotypes for eating disorders (ED), by assessing a group of people for perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Perfectionism was found to be closely related to obsessive-compulsive personality symptoms compared to OCD.

Genetic and neurobiologically mediated mechanisms contribute to the etiology of anorexia nervosa. Serotonin neuronal systems, in particular, may create vulnerabilities related to pathological feeding, anxiety and obsessions, and extremes of impulse control, that make individuals susceptible to developing an eating disorder, perhaps in combination with environmental stressors.

Twin and family studies were examined and it was suggested that genetic variants contribute to the pathogens of bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN). This study represents the largest genetic study of eating disorders.

The national institute of health workshop addresses the dearth of treatment research in Anorexia Nervosa. The aim of this workshop is to discuss the stages of illness and illness severity, pharmalogic interventions, psychological interventions, and methodologic considerations.

A study was conducted, with eleven women who were recovered from bulimia nervosa (BN), to determine whether altered pain perception persists after recovery from bulimia nervosa (RBN). The result reveals that RBN women show elevated pain threshold as measured with submaxial effort tourniquet test (SETT).

A study is conducted into altered response to m-CPP in anorexia nervosa, and the results indicate that altered serotonin activity continues after the restoration of weight in individuals with anorexia. It is concluded that it may also be a factor in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa.

Recent data linking sexual abuse to eating disorders remains uncertain. To test such hypothesis, women with three subtypes of eating disorders were studied. The first group was composed of 26 women with anorexia nervosa. The second group had 20 bulimics who were substance dependent while the third group was made up of 27 bulimics who were not substance dependent. The second group had the highest rate of sexual abuse at 65%. However, only 40% of all women in the study were sexually abused. No conclusive findings have been established that clearly link sexual abuse and eating disorders.