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Objective: Research suggests that subtyping adults with binge eating disorders by dietary restraint and negative affect predicts comorbid psychopathology, binge eating severity, and treatment outcome. Little research has explored the validity and clinical utility of subtyping youth along these dimensions. Method: Children (aged 8-18 years) reporting loss of control eating (n = 159) were characterized based upon measures of dietary restraint and negative affect using cluster analysis, and then compared regarding disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and parent-reported behavior problems. Results: Robust subtypes characterized by dietary restraint (n = 114; 71.7%) and dietary restraint/high negative affect (n = 45: 28.3%) emerged. Compared to the former group, the dietary restraint/high negative affect subtype evidenced increased shape and weight concerns, more frequent binge eating episodes, and higher rates of parent-reported problems (all ps < 0.05). Conclusion: Similar to findings from the adult literature, the presence of negative affect may mark a more severe variant of loss of control eating in youth. Future research should explore the impact of dietary restraint/negative affect subtypes on psychiatric functioning, body weight, and treatment outcome. Keywords: Loss of control eating Negative affect Dietary restraint Children Adolescents

The phenomenology of childhood and adolescent loss of control (LOC) eating is unknown. The authors interviewed 445 youths to assess aspects of aberrant eating. LOC was associated with eating forbidden food before the episode; eating when not hungry; eating alone; and experiencing secrecy, negative emotions, and a sense of 'numbing' while eating (ps < .01). Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed a subgroup, most of whom reported LOC eating. Cluster members reported having a trigger initiate episodes, eating while watching television, and having decreased awareness regarding the amount consumed. The authors conclude that aspects of LOC eating during youth are similar to aspects of adult episodes, but a youth-specific presentation may exist. Findings may provide an intervening point to prevent excessive weight gain and eating disorders. Keywords: binge eating, loss of control eating, children, adolescents

Women who express concerns about weight gain during smoking cessation programs tended to gain more weight than they said they were willing to tolerate. These women showed no sign of abnormal eating habits. The weight gain they experienced may deter some women from continuing in a smoking cessation program.

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

Overweight women diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and an age and weight matched comparison group were asked to report the minimum amount of certain foods needed to make an eating episode feel like a binge. The amounts of food perceived as a bing ranged from around 500-800 calories. It is suggested that binge eaters see substantially smaller amounts of food as a binge. There was no evidence of predicted cognitive distortions.

Specific concerns about weight gain following smoking cessation inhibit attempts to quit smoking, especially in women. However, adjunct interventions to prevent weight gain after cessation have generally been successful only in attenuating, rather than preventing, weight gain. More aggressive weight control adjuncts may be necessary to prevent cessation-induced weight gain. On the other hand, weight control programs have not been found to improve long-term smoking abstinence and, in fact, may actually impede abstinence, necessitating a search for alternative approaches to addressing weight concerns. Since the typical amount of weight gain is essentially trivial from a health standpoint, particularly when compared with the health benefits of quitting smoking, the most appropriate clinical strategy may be to combat the weight concerns themselves rather than the weight gain. A second alternative approach is to focus all treatment efforts on smoking cessation alone, to avoid placing excessive burdens on participants resulting from attempting simultaneous changes in multiple health behaviors (i.e., smoking and those related to weight). The rationales for these three clinical approaches to addressing concerns about weight gain - more effective weight control, direct reduction in weight concerns by cognitive-behavioral treatment, and smoking cessation only - are presented, followed by descriptions of the adjunct treatments based on these approaches currently being evaluated in a clinical outcome study with women trying to quit smoking. Keywords - smoking cessation; weight gain; weight concerns; weight control; cognitive behavioral treatment; women; eating disorders.

This study examined the relationship between weight cycling and psychological health in 120 obese women. Weight cycling was defined in 2 ways by retrospective self-report: total lifetime weight loss and total number of weight cycles [greater than or equal to] 20 lbs ([greater than or equal to! 9.07 kg). Psychological self-report measures assessed psychiatric symptoms, eating behavior, mood, stress, and perceptions of physical health. Of the 52 associations between weight cycling and psychological parameters, 8 were significant, with the most consistent association being between weight cycling and binge eating. Binge eating was also strongly associated with psychological distress, as found in previous studies. After adjusting for binge eating, however, weight cycling was independently related to only one of the psychological measures: perceived physical health.

The effects on women being treated for binge eating disorder (BED) is examined in relation to an exercise intervention. Exercise is useful in treating BED. Women suffering from BED raised their level of physical activity and frequency of exercise upon receiving treatment. This increased physical activity related to a decrease in the incidence of binge eating. Women practicing abstinence from binge eating had a greater increase in overall physical activity. However, exercise is not related to either weight loss or symptoms of depression.

The habit of nocturnal eating is related to eating disorder. There is no significant relation between nocturnal eating and overweight. Binge eaters with the habit of nocturnal eating are tired and less alert. The behavior is neutral for happiness, miserableness, tension and overall mood. The non-binge eating disorder overweight women do not have nocturnal eating habits. The details of a study on women with eating disorder and overweight, with nocturnal eating habits are given.

A study on binge eating onset in obese patients is presented. Results indicate a greater probability for early-onset binge eaters to exhibit early onset of obesity and dieting than those with later-onset to binge-eat before dieting. Early-onset binge eaters are also more likely to have longer binge-free periods, more paternal obesity and binge eating. Early-onset binge eaters are also susceptible to more eating-disorders psychopathology.

The Binge Eating Scale (BES) and the Eating Disorder Examination, employed in diagnosing binge or nonbinge eaters from a sample of 126 women seeking obesity treatment, displayed versatility in identifying nonbinge eating subjects. However, BES was inaccurate in diagnosing binge eaters, revealing the need to modify the scale to improve its utility.

Binge eating is characterized by the ingestion of a large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control and is pathognomonic of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED). Research on syndromes of hinge eating has burgeoned in the previous decade. This paper reviews the literature on bulimia nervosa and BED, with particular attention to issues of diagnosis, etiology, assessment, and treatment that are relevant to clinicians treating individuals with hinge eating syndromes.

Forty-nine obese diabetic patients with obese spouses (diabetic or nondiabetic) were randomly assigned to an alone or together condition. Patients in the alone group participated by themselves in a 20-week behavioral weight control program; their spouses attended assessment sessions only. Patients in the together group attened the program with their spouses; both were targeted for weight loss and taught social support strategies. Weight losses of patients treated alone and together did not differ significantly at posttreatment (19.9 vs 19.1 lb) or 1-year follow-up (11.6 vs. 7.0 lb). However, there was a significant interaction of treatment and gender; women did better when treated with their spouses, whereas men did better when treated alone. A 'family-based' approach was not effective for these obest Type ii diabetic patients as a whole but may be helpful for women.

A study of 6-month outcomes of 71 patients with anorexia nervosa who completed inpatient treatment followed by a day-hospital program is reported. The findings highlight both the potential benefits of this care continuum model for patients who previously have not been hospitalized and the pressing need to develop alternative treatment strategies for patients with more chronic AN.

A study was conducted to develop a brief, simple, structured, interviewer-administered scale (C-BEDS) to measure BED in children according to the provisional criteria and to compare diagnostic results with Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of DSM-IV disorders (SCID) diagnoses. Both the provisional criteria and the C-BEDS might be developmentally appropriate for use with children and might assist physicians and other health providers to identify early onset binge eating behaviors and avoid the associated consequences including adult BED, obesity and other comorbidities.

Eating Disorder Examination for children (ChEDE) is used in treating eating disorder symptoms among seriously overweight children and provides initial data about their association with the outcome of treatment. It is observed that a small number of overweight children seeking treatment reported an episodic sense of loss of control over eating related to other disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, though this did not affect the outcome of treatment.

The short-term outcome of 61 inpatients with anorexia nervosa is described, utilizing a standardized protocol that could be completed by most patients within the typical length of stay in an academic medical center in the geographic area. Attainable inpatient treatment goals appear to be greater than or equal to 80% ideal body weight (IBW) at discharge, resolution of acute medical problems, and interruption of compensatory behaviors.

Eating disorder symptoms in depressed women with no history of eating disturbance are assessed and the clinical significance of these symptoms relative to those reported by women with bulimia spectrum disorder is evaluated. Results indicate that there were no significant differences between depressed and bulimic women on shape concerns, appearance overvaluation, or body dissatisfaction.

Investigators have identified significant obstacles in the promotion of research in anorexia nervosa. Substantial efforts are made to provide training opportunities for junior investigators in the eating disorders field.

The differences in the onset pattern of comorbid disorder in women with eating disorder, with and without a history of parasuicide is examined to elucidate potential etiologic differences between them. The result showed that depression and anxiety disorders occurred in the parasuicidal group, more often, before the onset of eating disorder.

This article explores research conducted on binge eating in children and teenagers. The authors maintain the research suggests loss of control over eating may be more significant than consumption of a large amount of food in the diagnosis of pediatric binge eating.

Women smokers concerned about weight gain (N = 219) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 adjunct treatments accompanying group smoking cessation counseling: (a) behavioral weight control to prevent weight gain (weight control); (b) cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to directly reduce weight concern, in which dieting was discouraged; and (c) standard counseling alone (standard), in which weight gain was not explicitly addressed. Ten sessions were conducted over 7 weeks, and no medication was provided. Continuous abstinence was significantly higher at posttreatment and at 6 and 12 months of follow-up for CBT (56%, 28%, and 21%, respectively), but not for weight control (44%, 18%, and 13%, respectively), relative to standard (31%, 12%, and 9%, respectively). However, weight control, and to a lesser extent CBT, was associated with attenuation of negative mood after quitting. Prequit body mass index, but not change in weight or in weight concerns postquit, predicted cessation outcome at 1 year. In sum, CBT to reduce weight concerns, but not behavioral weight control counseling to prevent weight gain, improves smoking cessation outcome in weight-concerned women.

Research into family-based behavioural treatment for severe obesity in children is presented. It was found that a 10- to 12-session family-based behavioural programme is feasible and has limited, short-term effects on the weight of the children involved.