Henry B. Slotnick

DSM-III-R personality disorders in eating-disorder subtypes

The authors interviewed 46 eating-disordered individuals with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II) to assess the prevalence of personality disorders in four eating disorder subtypes. The findings suggest that eating disorder subtypes vary in prevalence of concurrent personality disorder diagnoses. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder was common in restricting anorexics, but not bulimic anorexics. Normal-weight bulimia was associated with histrionic personality disorder. Regardless of eating-disorder subtype, self-reported depression was highest in individuals meeting criteria for borderline and dependent personality disorder.

Rethinking continuing medical education

&NA; We believe that the traditional view of Continuing Medical Education (CME) as a major source of new information and skills for physicians is inadequate because it fails to take into account the range of costs and benefits associated with CME. These costs and benefits were identified through a follow‐up to a national study of how physicians decide which CME activities to attend. The goal of the follow‐up was to determine the meanings doctors attach to factors they use in selecting CME activities. Results indicated that costs associated with CME attendance are financial, professional, and personal. Benefits relate to recredentialing, opportunities to gain insights/wisdom (e.g., through discussing patient problems with colleagues), and opportunities to satisfy psychological needs (i.e., security, affiliation, and self‐esteem). We review the implications of viewing CME in this way, including the role of CME in the evolving health care policy reform.

N,N Dimethylglycine and Epilepsy

Summary: Nineteen institutionalized patients with frequent seizures (group average two to three per day; seizure types–generalized, akinetic/myoclonic), were treated randomly with either placebo or N,N dimethylglycine (DMG) for 28 days. Dosage was 300 mg/day for the first 14 days and then 600 mg/day. Plasma levels were measured at baseline, days 2, 5, 8, 15, 22, 30, and 1 and 2 weeks after the study ended. No differences in seizure frequency were noted between placebo and DMG or between baseline and test conditions. No toxicity was noted.

Away‐from‐home CME: Age and sex differences among physicians in the Dakotas

Continuing Medical Education (CME) is required for reregistration of license in many states, continued membership in several specialty societies, and maintenance of practice privileges in most hospitals. However, although CME contributes to medical practice, it also makes demands on physicians’ personal lives. To explore these demands, we investigated enrollment at 2‐day CME conferences by physicians of both sexes and varying ages. Results indicated young male physicians were more likely to attend than older male physicians, and older female physicians were more likely to attend than younger female physicians. This pattern is explained by psychosocial development theory reporting that young women assign more importance to relationships and young men assign more importance to achievement, with both groups changing as they mature: Women become more interested in achievement, and men become more interested in relationships. These concerns are also reflected in physicians’ valuation of issues used in deciding...