Eating Disorders

THURSDAY, March 13, 2014 — A small, preliminary study hints that a hormone connected to positive feelings could help ease obsessions with food and obesity in people with anorexia. "Patients with anorexia have a range of social difficulties, which often start in their early teenage years before the onset of the illness," senior study author Janet Treasure, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, in England, said in a university news release. "These social problems, which can result in isolation, may be important in understanding both the onset and maintenance of anorexia," Treasure said. "By using [the hormone] oxytocin as a potential treatment for anorexia, we are focusing on some of these underlying problems we see in patients." Oxytocin…

FRIDAY, March 28, 2014 — It's said you can never be too rich or too thin, but new research suggests otherwise. People who are clinically underweight face an even higher risk for dying than obese individuals, the study shows. Compared to normal-weight folks, the excessively thin have nearly twice the risk of death, researchers concluded after reviewing more than 50 prior studies. Obesity has occupied center stage under the public health spotlight, but "we have [an] obligation to ensure that we avoid creating an epidemic of underweight adults and fetuses who are otherwise at the correct weight," said study leader Dr. Joel Ray, a physician-researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. The findings appear in the March 28 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Public…

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6, 2014 — Women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa feel a sense of pride about their weight loss, and this positive emotion may play a major role in the deadly condition, according to a new study. "What we think happens is that positive emotions become exaggerated and are rewarding these maladaptive behaviors," study author Edward Selby, an assistant professor in the psychology department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., said in a university news release. Over two weeks, the researchers assessed the emotional states of 118 women, ages 18-58, being treated for anorexia nervosa. Along with negative emotions, the women also felt positive about being able to meet or exceed their weight-loss goals. The study was published in the July issue of the…

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 — Family-based therapies can benefit teens with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, a new study suggests. "The take-away message for parents is that, first, there is good treatment available for their child who is struggling with anorexia," study author Dr. Stewart Agras, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said in a university news release. "Second, the preferred treatment is family-based therapy in which parents help their child regain weight," Agras added. "For a long time, people blamed families for causing anorexia and thought they should be left out of treatment," study co-author Dr. James Lock, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford, said in the news…

MONDAY, Dec. 29, 2014 — Anorexia is typically associated with women, but a new report finds that men — especially men obsessed with muscularity — can develop the eating disorder, too. The Canadian researchers noted that an estimated 10 percent or more of anorexia patients are thought to be male, though the actual number may be significantly higher. There was also a slightly larger proportion of gays with anorexia than is seen in women with the illness, the study found. "We know that anorexia does touch more women, but even though many parents, and even medical professionals, don't realize it, it's also among boys and men," said study lead author Dominique Meilleur, an associate professor of psychology who studies adolescence and eating disorders at the University of…

THURSDAY, March 26, 2015 — People with anorexia nervosa have an abnormal brain response to hunger signals, a new study finds. "When most people are hungry, they are motivated to eat," study first author Christina Wierenga, an associate professor of psychiatry at the the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said in a university news release. "Yet individuals with anorexia can be hungry and still restrict their food intake. We wanted to identify brain mechanisms that may contribute to their ability to ignore rewards, like food," she explained. The finding offers new insight into eating disorders and could lead to new treatments that target specific brain pathways, according to the researchers. The findings were published recently in the journal…

— If you're concerned that your child may have an eating disorder, having the conversation can be difficult. The University of Michigan Health System suggests: Explain to your child in a caring, loving way about your concerns. Listen carefully to your child's response. Be aware that teens with eating disorders may be ashamed, afraid or out of control. Explain to your child that you want to help. You may need to bring up the conversation more than once if your child denies the behavior or gets angry. Monitor your child's Internet use, as there are sites that promote eating disorders. Seek professional help if you think your child needs it.

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2015 — Although most Americans think mental health care is important, they often believe it's expensive and hard to get, a new survey shows. In questioning more than 2,000 adults, nearly 90 percent said they place equal value on mental and physical health. But one-third said mental health care is inaccessible. And 40 percent said cost is a barrier to treatment for many people, the survey found. Forty-seven percent of respondents thought they have had a mental health condition, but only 38 percent of them had received treatment. Of those who were treated, most thought it was helpful, including 82 percent who got psychotherapy and 78 percent who received medications. The survey also found that 86 percent of participants knew that mental health disorders such as…

MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2015 — Family doctors and pediatricians are often the sole source of a child's mental health care, particularly for kids suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). More than one-third of U.S. kids receiving care for a mental health problem are treated by their primary care physician alone, without the involvement of a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, according to a new study. And four out of 10 children with ADHD are treated by a primary care physician without any collaboration with a mental health professional. Primary care physicians also appear more likely than psychiatrists to prescribe medications to treat kids with ADHD, according to the study published online Oct. 12 in the journal Pediatrics. Children with ADHD usually…

FRIDAY, Nov. 20, 2015 — Teasing overweight girls about their weight can cause lasting harm to their self-image and might increase their risk of eating disorders, a new study suggests. "Weight status may be a more sensitive issue for children who are overweight or obese, and being teased about it may elicit a stronger response from them as opposed to children who are not overweight or obese," Norma Olvera, a professor and health educator at the University of Houston, said in a university news release. The research included 135 black and Hispanic girls about age 11 who were overweight or obese. Eighty-one percent of the girls were obese. All of them said they were unhappy about their body weight and wished they were thinner, the researchers said. "…

FRIDAY, Nov. 27, 2015 — Bullies may be at increased risk for eating disorders, a new study suggests. Previous research has found that victims of bullying are more likely to have these disorders, but the finding that bullies are also at risk came as a surprise, the researchers said. "For a long time, there's been this story about bullies that they're a little more hale and hearty," study author William Copeland, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., said in a university news release. "Maybe they're good at manipulating social situations or getting out of trouble, but in this one area it seems that's not the case at all. Maybe teasing others …

FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2016 — New research assesses the often fatal outcomes for people with eating disorders, particularly anorexia. The study found that people with anorexia nervosa were five times more likely to die early than those in the general population. Most of the deaths among people with anorexia, which involves a low body weight and an intense fear of gaining weight, were due to natural causes associated with the disorder. Suicide was the leading cause of non-natural death. People with bulimia nervosa, which usually involves binge-eating and purging, and other types of eating disorders also had higher-than-normal death rates, but not as high as those with anorexia, the investigators said. Risk factors for premature death among people with eating disorders included a high number…