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Do the levels of psychopathology displayed by patients with an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) more closely resemble those displayed by full-criteria anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients than they do those of non-eating-disorder controls? Three groups of eating disorder patients (anorexia nervosa, n = 27; bulimia nervosa, n = 23; EDNOS, n = 19) and a group of non-eating-disorder controls (n = 25) were compared on four subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), and on the Eating Disorders Belief Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. EDNOS patients were indistinguishable from the other two eating disorder groups on all of the measured variables, except for the Perfectionism subscale of the EDI-2. The findings of the present study support the view that EDNOS should not be considered a subclinical eating disorder. However, much remains to be understood about who EDNOS patients are. (Contains 3 tables.)

A day hospital program for the treatment of patients with long-term anorexia nervosa (AN) is described. This program forms part of a comprehensive system of day programs that reflect and incorporate patients' varying degrees of readiness for change and attempt to match patients' readiness for change to the interventions offered in treatment. Preliminary outcome data are presented, showing clinically valuable changes of motivation in this group. (Contains 1 table.)

Do the levels of psychopathology displayed by patients with an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) more closely resemble those displayed by full-criteria anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients than they do those of non-eating-disorder controls? Three groups of eating disorder patients (anorexia nervosa, n  = 27; bulimia nervosa, n  = 23; EDNOS, n  = 19) and a group of non-eating-disorder controls ( n  = 25) were compared on four subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory - 2 (EDI-2), and on the Eating Disorders Belief Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. EDNOS patients were indistinguishable from the other two eating disorder groups on all of the measured variables, except for the Perfectionism subscale of the EDI-2. The findings of the present study support the view that EDNOS should not be considered a subclinical eating disorder. However, much remains to be understood about who EDNOS patients are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disturbance of eating may be symptomatic of other physical or psychiatric illness, for example the hypophagias associated with neoplastic disease or severe depression. In most instances of these secondary eating disorders there appears to be a true alteration in appetite, that is in the desire and relish for food. Primary eating disorders on the other hand are complex behavioral disturbances which do not result directly from changes in appetite. In this category are obesity, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. The conditions of obesity and anorexia nervosa have been accepted for may years as clinical problems, and their history can be traced far back in the annals of medicine. The situation in regard to bulimia is rather different, since it has been recognized only recently as a subject of medical concern. The purpose of the present paper is to review the emergence of bulimia in the medical literature, discuss its status as a disorder, and advise caution before it is uncritically accepted as an illness entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies have suggested that patients with anorexia nervosa may have cognitive deficits on neuropsychological examination. A battery of tests was administered to 35 patients (34 female, 1 male), diagnosed as suffering from anorexia nervosa (n = 20) or bulimia nervosa (n = 15) during the early stages of admission to a specialized eating disorders unit. Results revealed no significant differences between the anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa patients on any of the intellectual, neuropsychological, or academic-related tasks that were administered. There was no evidence of cognitive deficits in certain patient groups when compared with theoretical norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating behaviour, nutritional intake and psychopathology were examined in 16 weight-recovered anorexia nervosa patients. The Eating Disorders Examination (EDE) and a food diary were the main outcome measures, but body fat content and psychosocial adjustment were also assessed. Although body fat and overall psychosocial adjustment had returned to normal in most patients, 12 still had a restricted eating pattern with nutritional intake below 90% of their energy requirements. These results suggest that weight, menstruation, and psychosocial criteria are not sufficient to determine full recovery from anorexia nervosa, and that attention should be given also to measures of the specific behavioural and attitudinal disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, two raters, a psychologist and a nurse, each made five independent ratings of 30 different video-recorded patient-examinations. Having thus excluded patient fluctuation, individual-rater consistency and between-rater agreement over the 6 weeks of the study are examined. While between-rater agreement was apparently being maintained, mean AIMS scores steadily increased. In the hands of these raters, AIMS items 2 and 4 emerged as very reliable, while items 1, 6, and 7 showed high variability. Some patients appeared to be hard to rate. Differences between the study raters and the author JB highlight the issue: how reproducible is an AIMS rating? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper compares a lenient and a strict operant conditioning programme in refeeding patients with anorexia nervosa. Sixty-five consecutive in-patients participated in the study. We found no significant difference in the rate of weight-gain between the two treatments. There were, however, a number of practical advantages in using the more lenient programme: it was more economical of nursing time, and patients were more accessible to psychotherapy. The programme was also more acceptable to the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is usually described as fluctuating in its clinical manifestations. We attempted to quantify fluctuations in TD using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Three psychiatrists rated multiple video-recorded examinations of four outpatients with mild TD. The unexpected finding was that within-rater variability dominated within-patient variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of body shape was studied in 15 female patients with anorexia nervosa and 15 age matched controls. A lens was used which could be manipulated to cause a horizontal distortion of an image projected onto a video monitor. The patients showed a greater tendency to over- and under-estimate their present body shape than did the controls. Further, the patients' desired body shape was significantly thinner than that of controls, as was their estimation of what constitutes a normal body shape. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature and it is suggested that they may have important implications for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary MHPG (3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl-ethylene glycol) was measured in seven anorexia nervosa patients during a bed rest and refeeding programme. MHPG levels were positively related to increase in body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-two female patients with anorexia nervosa were assessed by means of objective personality testing. The EPI, Leyton Obsessional Inventory, Cattell's 16 PF and Raven's Matrices were used for this purpose. The personality profile that emerged was of a highly neurotic and introverted person with moderately severe obsessional features and average intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that examines the minor psychiatric and physical symptoms during the menstrual cycle. Scores on the mood scale and mental symptoms check-list were highly correlated with each other and both correlated with the physical symptoms scores. Twenty five women with normal menstruation showed fluctuations in psychological and physical symptomatology during the menstrual cycle, symptoms being more intense during the premenstrual and menstrual weeks. The 7 women who had undergone simple hysterectomy with conservation of the ovaries and who were shown to have an apparently normal cyclical hormonal pattern, did not demonstrate similar significant changes in symptoms during the various phases of their cycles.

The article presents a study which examines the effects of long-term neuroleptic treatment on plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogens, testosterone and prolactin in human subjects. Subjects of the study were a group of twelve chronic schizophrenic patients consisting of eight men and four post-menopausal women who had been receiving neuroleptic treatment for at least ten years. During treatment, testosterone level in male subjects was low or normal, without attendant changes in LH levels. However, testosterone rose upon withdrawal of the drugs. On the other hand, plasma prolactin during treatment was elevated in female patients, within the normal level for male patients. Prolactin levels decreased in both men and women following drug withdrawal.

The article presents a study which examines the effect of phenothiazines on the circulating levels of prolactin and luteinizing hormone (LH). Subjects of the study were sixteen female psychiatric patients that developed inappropriate lactation and amenorrhea while receiving phenothiazines. Data concerning the patient's mental state, presence of extrapyramidal signs, occurrence of menstruation and severity of inappropriate lactation were recorded. The results showed that plasma prolactin was elevated in majority of the patients during phenothiazines treatment. In patients with amenorrhea, basal LH levels were variable, while estrogen and progesterone followed the normal pattern of menstrual cycle.