Carbamazepine in the treatment of bulimia.

Of six bulimic outpatients who completed a double-blind crossover trial with carbamazepine, one patient, who had a history suggestive of bipolar disorder, responded dramatically with cessation of binge eating. This supports a possible link in some patients between bulimia and affective illness.

The differentiation of vomiting/weight loss as a conversion disorder from anorexia nervosa.

The authors studied patients with weight loss and vomiting, distinguishing by means of objective criteria those who had what they feel is a conversion disorder from those with anorexia nervosa. The group of patients with conversion disorder were quite different from those with anorexia nervosa and could be considered as suffering from less pervasive psychological deficits. Medical and psychotherapeutic intervention must take into account the differences between these two groups for treatment to achieve maximal benefit.

A comparison between muscle function and body composition in anorexia nervosa: the effect of refeeding.

Skeletal muscle function, body composition (total body nitrogen and total body potassium) and standard parameters of nutritional assessment were measured in six severely depleted patients with primary anorexia nervosa, both on admission and during oral refeeding. The function of the adductor pollicis muscle was assessed by electrical stimulation of the ulnar nerve. On admission muscle function was markedly abnormal in the patients with anorexia nervosa (n = 6) compared with normal subjects (n = 22), with a significant increase in the force of contraction at 10 Hz, with a mean +/- SEM of 48.0 +/- 3.7% and 28.8 +/- 1.2%, respectively (p less than 0.001). There was slowing of the maximal relaxation rate, 6.6 +/- 0.6% and 9.6 +/- 0.2%, respectively (p less than 0.001) and increased muscle fatigue 18.6 +/- 5.9% and 3.5 +/- 0.8%, respectively (p less than 0.01). Initially, the mean serum albumin was normal (4.0 +/- 0.1 g/dl), although there was evidence of severe depletion of somatic protein stores, with a low total body nitrogen and creatinine-height index. Within 4 wk of oral refeeding, maximal relaxation rate and muscle fatigability were restored to normal, and within 8 wk all parameters of muscle function were normal. During the study total body nitrogen increased by only 13% and was still 19.4% below the predicted normal total body nitrogen, whereas total body potassium increased by 32% and body fat by 46%. Normalization of muscle function may be related to restoration of muscle electrolytes rather than repletion of body nitrogen.

Psychiatric consultations in rheumatology: a review of 100 cases.

Consultation-liaison psychiatry has contributed much to our understanding of the psychological complications of physical illness, both in general responses to illness and in particular problems related to specific diseases. We reviewed 100 psychiatric consultations from a specialized rheumatology unit. Eighty percent of the consultations consisted of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (36%), rheumatoid arthritis (29%), and fibrositis (15%). The majority of S.L.E. patients had organic brain syndromes related to central nervous system involvement or corticosteroids, while the majority of rheumatoid arthritis patients had a depressive diagnosis. Fibrositis patients showed no specific psychiatric diagnosis. Some future areas of research for consultation-liaison psychiatry in this area are suggested.

Psychopharmacology training in psychiatric residency programs: the Canadian scene.

A survey among psychiatric residents about their satisfaction with and concerns about their training in psychopharmacology was conducted. One hundred and seventy responders (61%) from ten post-graduate psychiatric programs in Canada completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the residents' satisfaction with the training they had received over the previous six months as well as over their entire residency period. The questionnaire inquired specifically about the quantity and quality of supervision in the use of different medications for different therapeutic purposes. It also looked at the quality of supervision of drug therapies within hospital services, inpatient, outpatient, consultation and emergency services. Residents also were asked about coverage of specific topics and ranked different methods of learning. The survey uncovered a number of deficiencies mostly related to the teaching of basic psychopharmacology, integration of psychopharmacological and psychosocial issues and the lack of teaching of clinical appraisal of recent advances. Factors that may have contributed to the development of such deficiencies as well as specific recommendations are discussed.

Anorexia nervosa and 'Turner syndrome': cause or coincidence?

We report the eleventh documented case of the concurrence of anorexia nervosa and 'Turner syndrome'. Although some authors have suggested that the 2 syndromes occur together more often than by chance, and 5% of anorexia nervosa patients karyotyped to data have 'Turner syndrome', recent evidence in fact suggests that the 2 conditions do not occur together more often than one would expect by chance.

A comparison of characteristics in the families of patients with anorexia nervosa and normal controls.

The present study compared families of patients with anorexia nervosa with families of non-anorexic adolescent daughters of a similar social class. All anorexics and adolescent comparison girls and their parents were studied using a variety of psychometric measures. Body size estimation and physical anhedonia were also measured. Family characteristics were assessed using the Family Assessment Measure (FAM). Contrary to the hypotheses, no abnormalities were found in terms of parental attitudes to weight control or dieting. The mothers of anorexics displayed no increase in psychopathology on any of the measures. The fathers scored very similarly to controls but with higher degrees of conscientiousness. Neither fathers nor mothers displayed abnormalities of their own body size estimates or body satisfaction. On the FAM the anorexic families reported an increased pathology on several sub-scales. It is not possible to say whether these disturbances are part of the pathogenesis or are sequelae to the illness.