Top 6 eating disorder articles of 2015

As the year comes to a close, Healio.com/Psychiatry revisits the most popular research on eating disorders within 2015.

They include neuroimaging analysis, investigations on treatment and risk factors, FDA approvals and public health implications.

FDA: Vyvanse approved to treat binge-eating disorder in adults

Vyvanse has been approved by the FDA to treat binge-eating disorder in adults, making it the first FDA-approved medication for the disorder, according to a press release. Read more

Patients with anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder share visual cortex abnormalities

Fifteen patients with anorexia nervosa and 15 patients with body dysmorphic disorder were administered fMRI and electroencephalography while they were shown images of faces and houses of different spatial frequencies. Read more

Vyvanse may be an effective treatment for binge eating disorder

Susan L. McElroy, MD, of the Research Institute at Lindner Center of HOPE in Ohio, and colleagues conducted a safety (n=259) and intention-to-treat analysis (n=255) randomized study of adults with moderate-to-severe binge eating disorders.

Patients were randomly assigned to daily lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse, Shire) 30 mg, 50 mg, 70 mg, or placebo in a 1:1:1:1 fashion; titrated across 3 weeks, and maintained for 8 weeks. Read more

Experts warn of coming war over ‘food addiction’ and public health

SAN FRANCISCO — The difference between “food addiction” and “food and addiction” will gain public policy significance as the prepared food industry gears up to fight a growing body of data indicating processed foods contribute to negative public health outcomes. The remarks were made by the outgoing director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. Read more

Morning people, conscientious personality types less likely to overeat

Andrew N. Christopher, PhD, of the department of Psychology at Albion College in Michigan, and colleagues surveyed 279 participants (151 men and 128 women) recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk worker pool. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 82 years and had an average BMI of 26.23. Study participants completed personality trait, eating and time-of-day preference questionnaires. Read more

Family-based treatment superior to CBT for adolescent bulimia nervosa

To compare efficacy of CBT-A with Family-Based Treatment for Adolescent Bulimia Nervosa, researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial among 130 study participants aged 12 to 18 years who met DSM-IV criteria for bulimia nervosa or partial bulimia nervosa. Study participants received 18 sessions of CBT-A or family-based treatment over 6 months. The primary study outcome was abstaining from binge eating and purging for 4 weeks prior to assessment. Read more