Eating disorders in children and adolescents: an update
Abstract
Children and adolescents with eating disorders frequently present to child mental health and paediatric services and have significant morbidity, psychosocial impairment and mortality. Efforts to treat these individuals have been hampered by a poor evidence base for effective interventions. This article reviews research published during 2004 with a primary focus on this challenging clinical area. Research published during 2004 has replicated past epidemiological findings and expanded our understanding of the relationship of family meal structure and disordered eating. Research has provided assistance in the well known clinical conundrums of excessive exercising in anorexia nervosa and predicting when return of menses will occur. There has also been clarification of adolescent bingeing. Potential advances include a new, noninvasive method of measuring body composition and investigations in adolescents on leptin, neuro and gastrointestinal peptides. Importantly, further evidence of the effectiveness of family therapy for anorexia nervosa and short-term benefits from intervention programs have been published. The research base that will influence clinical practice in child and adolescent eating disorders is increasing. More researc...Continue Reading
References
Citations
Recovery from lethal arrhythmia after weight gain in a patient with an eating disorder and epilepsy.
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Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric condition characterized by severe weight loss and secondary problems associated with malnutrition. Here is the latest research on AN.