Melissa Burgard

Eating disorders and psychiatric disorders in the first-degree relatives of obese probands with binge eating disorder and obese non-binge eating disorder controls.

OBJECTIVE The purposes of the present study were to examine the possibility of a familial tendency for binge eating disorder (BED) among the obese, to clarify the relationship between BED and other eating disorders, and to test the relationship between BED and other psychiatric disorders. METHOD We studied 32 female BED outpatients and 23 obese females without BED. A possible history of eating disorders was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R-Eating Disorders section administered by telephone interview. Family history information for other psychiatric disorders was collected using the Family History Research Diagnostic Criteria RESULTS The frequency of all eating disorders and the risk for other psychiatric disorders were not significantly different between the relatives of the two groups. These results were consistent across generation and gender. DISCUSSION This study failed to show a familial tendency for BED, or any significant familial relationship between BED and other eating disorders, and did not support the hypothesis of coaggregation of other psychiatric disorders with BED.

Dental Practitioners and Eating Disorders

To better understand how dental practitioners identify, counsel, and refer patients with eating disorders. A questionnaire was mailed to 625 dental practitioners, 54 (19%) of the dentists and 69 (20%) of the dental hygienists responded. Most dental practitioners were aware of eating disorder patients in their practices and most discussed their findings with their patients or parents. However, one of the suggestions most commonly given to patients, to brush immediately after vomiting, may be counter therapeutic, and a few offered referral for more health services. Collaboration between dental practitioners and mental health practitioners who work with eating disorder patients should be improved.