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Background The risk of mortality remains unclear for bulimia nervosa (BN) patients, especially the most severe. The aims of this study were to improve knowledge on BN and mortality. Methods With initial evaluation at admission, 258 BN (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) consecutive inpatients were included (1988-2004). Vital status was established from the French national register. Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) calculation and bivariate Cox analysis were performed for the hypothesised predictors of mortality. Results Mean follow-up duration was 10.5 years. Ten deaths were recorded, and the crude mortality ratio was 3.9%; SMR = 5.52 [CI95 (2.64-10.15)]. The majority of deaths were from suicide [6/10, SMR = 30.9 (5.7-68.7)]. The mean age at time of death was 29.6 years. Predictive factors were previous suicide attempt and low minimum BMI. Conclusions Severe BN patients are at higher risk of death (mainly suicide) especially if previous suicide attempt or previous low BMI. More studies are needed to confirm these results. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare clinical characteristics of men and women with severe AN and to analyze mortality in men. Method: One thousand and nine patients including 23 anorectic males were hospitalized in St. Anne Hospital in Paris between 1988 and 2004. Data were collected during hospitalization. Fatal outcome was assessed in 2008. Results: Men presented significantly later age of onset, were more likely to have a history of premorbid overweight than women and less likely to have attempted suicide. Mortality in men was high (standardized mortality ratio: 8.08; 95% CI: 1.62-23.62). Several predictive factors for mortality in men were identified: lower admission body mass index (BMI), later age at admission, and AN-R subtype. All the three deceased patients had dropped out from the inpatient unit. The 10-year survival did not differ between men and women, but men died sooner after hospitalization. Discussion: Male inpatients should receive close follow-up after their discharge, especially if they have a restrictive form of AN, present low BMI, or are older at admission. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Agomelatine has been shown to be safe and efficient in the treatment of major depressive disorder at 25 mg daily. The aim of this study was to gather preliminary data regarding the antidepressant efficacy of agomelatine in patients with bipolar I disorder experiencing a major depressive episode. Methods: Bipolar I patients on lithium (n = 14) or valpromide (n = 7), with a Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) total score ≥ 18, were given adjunctive open-label agomelatine at 25 mg/day for a minimum of 6 weeks followed by an optional extension of up to an additional 46 weeks. Results: Using intent-to-treat data, 81% of patients met criteria for marked improvement (>50% improvement from baseline in HAM-D score) at study endpoint. Patients were severely depressed at study entry (HAM-D of 25.2) and 47.6% responded as early as at one week of treatment. Nineteen patients entered the optional extension period for a mean of 211 days (range 6–325 days). Eleven patients completed the one-year extension on agomelatine. There were no dropouts due to adverse events during the acute phase of treatment (6 weeks). Six patients experienced serious adverse events during the one-year period. Three lithium-treated patients experienced manic or hypomanic episodes during the optional extension period, one of which was treatment-related. Conclusions: These results indicate the effectiveness of agomelatine 25 mg in the treatment of depressed bipolar I patients co-medicated with lithium or valpromide. A randomized controlled trial is planned to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor discussing the potential of topiramate to induce obsessive-compulsive disorder is presented.