The number of divergent purging behaviors is associated with histories of trauma, PTSD, and comorbidity in a national sample of women.

The number of different types of purging behaviors (NPB) of subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN) has been associated with greater severity of illness and psychiatric comorbidity. No studies have examined the association between the NPB used (vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretic abuse), histories of trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A national, representative sample of 3,006 adult women (≥18 years) completed a structured telephone interview including screenings for victimization experiences, PTSD, BN, major depression (MD), alcohol abuse (AA), and alcohol dependence (AD). Significant relationships were found between the NPB used and lifetime rates of victimization, PTSD, MD, AA, AD, and total comorbid disorders (p ≤ .001, χ(2)).

A comparison of women with child-adolescent versus adult onset binge eating: results from the National Women's Study.

OBJECTIVE: Studies of age of first binge have been conducted in clinical samples of patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED), but few studies have examined age of first binge using nationally representative samples. METHOD: We examined age of first binge and its clinical correlates using data generated from the National Women's Study (n = 3,006). Participants who endorsed ever binge eating (n = 707) were divided into two groups: (1) child-adolescent onset (CO)--age of first binge <18 years, and (2) adult onset (AO)--age of first binge ≥18 years. We hypothesized that CO binge eating would be associated with greater (1) likelihood of developing BN/BED, (2) severity of BN/BED, (3) history of trauma and PTSD, and (4) history of psychiatric comorbidity, such as major depression and substance use. RESULTS: Of those who ever endorsed binge eating, 212 reported CO (30%) and 495 (70%) reported AO. Although AO binge eating was more common, CO binge eating was associated with higher rates of lifetime BN, greater severity of bulimic symptoms, earlier age of first dieting; earlier age at highest weight, greater likelihood of ED treatment, and higher rates of molestation, physical assault, any direct victimization, lifetime PTSD, and substance abuse. CONCLUSIONS: AO binge eating is more than twice as common as CO binge eating in women, but CO binge eating is associated with higher rates of lifetime BN, greater severity of BN, and higher rates of victimization, PTSD, and substance abuse.

Seasonal patterns of birth for subjects with bulimia nervosa, binge eating, and purging: results from the National Women's Study.

OBJECTIVE: Studies of birth patterns in anorexia nervosa have shown relative increases between March and August, while studies in Bulimia Nervosa (BN) have been negative. Since there are no studies using representative, nonclinical samples, we looked for seasonal birth patterns in women with BN and in those who ever endorsed bingeing or purging. METHOD: A national, representative sample of 3,006 adult women completed structured telephone interviews including screenings for bulimia nervosa (BN) and questions about month, date, and year of birth. Season of birth was calculated using traditional definitions. Differences across season of birth between subjects with (n = 85) and without BN (n = 2,898), those with (n = 749) and without bingeing (n = 2,229), and those with (n = 267) and without any purging (n = 2,715) were compared using chi-square analyses. RESULTS: There were significant differences across season of birth between subjects: (1) with and without BN (p = 0.033); (2) with and without bingeing (p = 0.034), and; (3) with and without purging (p = 0.001). Fall had the highest relative number of births for all categories, while spring had the lowest. DISCUSSION: In a national representative study of nontreatment seeking subjects significant differences in season of birth were found for subjects with lifetime histories of BN, binge eating and purging. © 2011 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012).

Trauma and substance cue reactivity in individuals with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and cocaine or alcohol dependence.

Although the high comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders has been firmly established, no laboratory-based studies have been conducted to examine relationships between the two disorders. Using cue reactivity methodology, this study examined the impact of personalized trauma-image cues and in vivo drug cues on drug-related responding (e.g. craving) in individuals with PTSD and either crack cocaine (CD) or alcohol dependence (AD). CD and AD groups displayed reactivity to both trauma and drug cues when compared to neutral cues, including increased craving. However, the AD group was more reactive than the CD group to both classes of cues. The CD participants were more reactive to trauma-image cues if drug-related material was included in the image while the AD participants were reactive to the trauma cues regardless of drug-related content. It is hypothesized that PTSD-related negative emotion may play a relatively more important role in the maintenance of AD when compared to CD. Evidence that substance dependent individuals with PTSD report increased substance craving in response to trauma memories is offered as a potential contributing factor in the poorer substance abuse treatment outcomes previously documented in this comorbid population.

Use of an Electronic Medical Record to Facilitate Screening for Depression in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Screening programs for depression often fail to improve care because of lack of adequate communication and follow-up. The purpose of this study was to examine a primary care depression screening program that utilized an electronic medical record (EMR) to improve communication and follow-up. METHOD: All adult patients in a family practice office were screened for depression using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) during the period March 2000 through March 2001. Screening results were communicated to the primary physician via the EMR, and the physician communicated his or her plan back to the nurse via the EMR. In this retrospective cohort study, we included all persons who screened positive on the CES-D and examined their rate of new psychiatric diagnoses, new psychotropic medications, and change in CES-D scores 3 months after the initial screening. RESULTS: Of 1092 patients who completed the CES-D, 247 (22.6%) screened positive for depression. Among these, 35% had a new psychiatric diagnosis, 31% were prescribed new psychotropic medications, and 46% had a change in psychotropic medications. The vast majority of these were depression diagnoses and antidepressant medications. For the 94 persons who completed the CES-D at 3-month follow-up, there was a mean decrease in CES-D scores of 2.87 (p <.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a positive impact of a depression screening program that utilized an EMR to facilitate communication and follow-up. Such programs could help to improve detection and treatment of depression in other primary care settings.

Carbamazepine in the treatment of cocaine dependence: subtyping by affective disorder.

Studies investigating carbamazepine (CBZ) in the treatment of cocaine dependence have been inconsistent. In this study, cocaine-dependent individuals with (n = 57) and without (n = 82) affective disorder were compared in a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Urine drug screens (UDS) and self-report of drug use were collected weekly. Affective symptoms were measured monthly. Subjects receiving CBZ attended more medication sessions (p = .03). The CBZ-treated affective group had a trend toward fewer cocaine-positive UDS (p = .08) and a significantly longer time to first cocaine use (p = .06). CBZ treatment did not have any impact on cocaine use in individuals without affective disorders.

Perpetration of partner violence: effects of cocaine and alcohol dependence and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The present study examined the effects of substance dependence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on perpetration of partner violence. Participants were 72 men and 124 women diagnosed with and/or without PTSD and cocaine or alcohol dependence. Participants were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and completed the Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (CTS-2). Analyses indicated that participants with comorbid cocaine dependence and PTSD reported the highest frequency of partner violence relative to all other groups. Main effects were also detected for drug dependence and PTSD. Results suggest that substance dependence and PTSD alone are associated with increased violence in couples, and most importantly, the presence of PTSD serves to further potentiate the perpetration of partner violence among cocaine-dependent individuals.

PTSD symptom severity as a predictor of cue-elicited drug craving in victims of violent crime.

This study examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity as a predictor of cue-elicited craving among alcohol- and cocaine-dependent individuals with a history of at least one physical and/or sexual assault. Approximately half of the sample had current PTSD. Severity of PTSD symptoms was measured via the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) total severity score. Subjects listened to four trials of a brief narrative imagery script followed by the presentation of an in vivo cue. The script presentation consisted of a description of either the subject's worst traumatic event or a neutral scene. The in vivo cues consisted of the presentation of either the subject's preferred drug or neutral cues. Craving was measured in response to both the script and in vivo cues. Results indicated a high degree of correlation between self-report craving and (a) PTSD symptom severity, (b) type of substance use disorder (SUD) [alcohol dependence (AD) vs. cocaine dependence (CD)], and (c) sex and race of participant. A series of stepwise multiple regressions indicated that PTSD severity was significantly predictive of trauma cue-elicited craving and drug cue-elicited craving. The results are discussed in the context of current research, theory, and clinical practice.

Comparative profiles of women with PTSD and comorbid cocaine or alcohol dependence.

This study examined differences in substance abuse severity, trauma history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and psychiatric comorbidity among treatment-seeking women (N= 74) with PTSD and either comorbid cocaine or alcohol dependence. Women in the cocaine/PTSD group, compared with the alcohol/PTSD group, demonstrated greater occupational impairment (e.g., greater severity on the employment subscale of the Addiction Severity Index, less monthly income, fewer days worked in past month), more legal problems (e.g., greater number of months incarcerated and arrests for prostitution), and greater social impairment (e.g., fewer number of close friends, less likely to be married). Women in the alcohol/PTSD group evidenced higher rates of exposure to serious accidents, other situations involving serious injury, and other extraordinarily stressful life events. Rates of major depression and social phobia were higher among the alcohol/PTSD group than the cocaine/PTSD group. Women in the alcohol/PTSD group scored higher on the CAPS avoidance, hyperarousal, and total subscale scores. The current findings enhance our understanding of the substance-specific profiles of women with PTSD and comorbid substance use disorders and may have important implications for the design of dual-diagnosis interventions.