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Twenty-two female patients with anorexia nervosa, restricted type, 14-35 years old, were treated with a 4-month course of combined cognitive-behavioral therapy, nutritional counselling and antidepressant drugs (nortriptyline for 7, fluoxetine for 15). Patients were monitored for body mass index (BMI), for eating disorder symptoms by the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Bulimic Investigation Test (BITE) and for depression and anxiety by the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and for Anxiety (HRS-D and -A). The scores were determined before and after 1, 2 and 4 months of therapy. BMI, depression, anxiety and EDI scores improved significantly and equally in both groups during the 4 months of therapy, while BITE scores did not change.

The present study deals with pituitary-gonadal function in male heroin addicts, 6 patients with schizophrenia and 31 with mild personality disorders. We examined the serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels at the moment of hospitalization (at the maximum of heroin addiction), and 48 h and 10 days later. FSH levels were definitely reduced in all the patients and did not change during the period of heroin withdrawal. The LH levels were reduced to a lesser extent, but significantly, and did not change after 10 days of abstinence from the drug. Testosterone levels were very low and increased in the schizophrenics during withdrawal, but not in the other addicts. The possible influence of heroin addiction on catecholamine metabolism in the central nervous system and, therefore, on the hypothalamic releasing factor and pituitary gonadotrophins, and the peripheral effect on testicular function are discussed.