Anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia in a male Chinese

Eating disorders and psychosis: a review and case report

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: The interplay between eating disorders and psychosis is a challenging field to which little attention has been paid. Its study raises conceptual and methodological questions in both areas, making the diagnosis and management of patients difficult. Such questions are addressed and illustrated with a review and case report. METHODS: The authors present the case of a woman with Anorexia Nervosa and with comorbid Shared Psychotic Disorder, based on a literature review regarding the comorbidity between eating disorders and psychosis. The authors conducted a non-systematic review by searching the PubMed database, using the Mesh Terms “anorexia nervosa”, “bulimia nervosa”, “comorbidity” and “psychotic disorders”. RESULTS: The findings suggest that studies on the subject are limited by issues regarding data on the prevalence of comorbidities, phenomenological aspects of eating disorders, and the interface and integration with psychotic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The case presented illustrates the difficulties in managing a patient with a comorbid eating disorder and psychosis. In order to ensure a rigorous assessment of both psychotic and eating disorder symptoms, the focus should be on the pattern of appearance or emergence of symptoms, their phenomenology, clinical and family background of the patient, and clinical status on follow-up.

Comorbid Schizophrenia and Anorexia nervosa in an adolescent male

Schizophrenia is serious illness with high comorbidity of other psychiatric illnesses such as substance abuse disorders, depression and anxiety disorder. The dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa in an adolescent male is a rare occurrence and is understudied. The case presented is of a 12-year-old boy with complaints of auditory hallucinations, odd behaviors, paranoid delusions and suicidal attempt along with body image distortion, dread of fatness, food restriction and very low Body mass Index. This case report, describe the comorbidity of schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa by highlighting its assessment and treatment in light of available literature.

Eating disorders in schizophrenia: implications for research and management

Objective. Despite evidence from case series, the comorbidity of eating disorders (EDs) with schizophrenia is poorly understood. This review aimed to assess the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of EDs in schizophrenia patients and to examine whether the management of EDs can be improved. Methods. A qualitative review of the published literature was performed using the following terms: "schizophrenia" in association with "eating disorders," "anorexia nervosa," "bulimia nervosa," "binge eating disorder," or "night eating syndrome." Results. According to our literature review, there is a high prevalence of comorbidity between schizophrenia and EDs. EDs may occur together with or independent of psychotic symptoms in these patients. Binge eating disorders and night eating syndromes are frequently found in patients with schizophrenia, with a prevalence of approximately 10%. Anorexia nervosa seems to affect between 1 and 4% of schizophrenia patients. Psychopathological and neurobiological mechanisms, including effects of antipsychotic drugs, should be more extensively explored. Conclusions. The comorbidity of EDs in schizophrenia remains relatively unexplored. The clearest message of this review is the importance of screening for and assessment of comorbid EDs in schizophrenia patients. The management of EDs in schizophrenia requires a multidisciplinary approach to attain maximized health outcomes. For clinical practice, we propose some recommendations regarding patient-centered care.

Disordered eating attitudes in Egyptian antipsychotic naive patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to test in a sample of Egyptian antipsychotic naive patients the hypotheses that the disordered eating attitudes co-occur with schizophrenia in a higher frequency than would be expected by chance in the general population and that the disordered eating comorbidity would be associated with more severe schizophrenia psychopathology. Previous studies have been mostly concerned with the impact of the antipsychotics. Studies relating abnormal eating behavior to the schizophrenia psychopathology rather than to its treatment are lacking.

METHOD

In this case-control cross-sectional study, 50 consecutive antipsychotic naive patients, newly attending the psychiatric outpatient clinic, University Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt, with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnosis of schizophrenia, were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and compared with 50 nonpsychiatric controls using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT40).

RESULTS

Patients with schizophrenia had an EAT40 mean score (23.4 ± 7.8) higher than that of controls (19.7 ± 7.2) (P = .015). Prevalence of disordered eating (defined by a score of ≥ 30 on the EAT40) in these patients was higher than in the control group (30% vs 12%, P = .027). Comparison between schizophrenia patients with and without disordered eating showed no significant differences in demographic and a number of clinical variables, but they differed in their scores on lifestyle characteristics and anthropometric measures. The group of patients with disordered eating had also higher scores on total and all scale factors but not on the negative symptom scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Data of this study show, perhaps for the first time, that "disordered" eating attitudes, as measured by the EAT40, are higher in a group of Egyptian patients with schizophrenia than in controls. However, the lack of difference between patients with and without disordered eating in terms of demographic and a number of clinical characteristics fail to explain the hypothesis that schizophrenia with disordered eating is a distinct subtype of schizophrenia. Data indicate, on the other hand, that the presence of disordered eating behavior in patients with schizophrenia is associated with the expression of more active psychotic symptoms.

Eating disorders and schizophrenia in male patients: a review

OBJECTIVE

To understand the comorbidity of schizophrenia and eating disorders (ED) in male patients.

METHOD

A review of the published literature was made via Med- Line using the following terms: "schizophrenia" or "psychosis" in association with "eating disorders", "anorexia nervosa", "binge eating" or "bulimia nervosa", in association with the terms "comorbidity" or "comorbidities" and finally in association with the term "male", "man" or "men".

RESULTS

Groups of male patients known to suffer from schizophrenia and screened for ED suffer essentially from anorexia nervosa (0.81%). Groups of male patients screened for anorexia nervosa and then for schizophrenia demonstrate high comorbidity prevalence (36%). In general, ED symptoms diminish with psychotic episodes and recur when the psychotic episode remits. A man with an ED has a 3.6 times more risk than a woman with an ED to have comorbid schizophrenia. In men, ED present atypical features so that ED not otherwise specified (EDNOS) is relatively frequent.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Male patients described in the literature as suffering from schizophrenia and ED fall under one of four categories: a) acute psychotic episode related to organic causes due to malnutrition; b) male patients presenting with an ED who later develops schizophrenia; c) male patients known to suffer from schizophrenia and who develops distorted eating cognitions and disordered behaviors; d) male patients suffering from schizophrenia and developing a medication-induced ED.

Eating disorders in the Far East

OBJECTIVE

To investigate eating disorders (EDs) prevalence rates among Asian populations and identify characteristics that distinguish them from their Western counterparts.

METHOD

Potential references were identified through an English-language literature search using Medline, Psychinfo, Dissertation Abstracts (1966 to 1999) and through extensive manual searching of textbooks, reviews and reference lists.

RESULTS

The majority of studies related to EDs were conducted in Japan and China and a few were conducted in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Korea whereas there was none in the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand. Prevalence rates in Japan range from 0.025 to 0.030% for anorexia nervosa (AN) and from 1.9 to 2.9% for bulimia nervosa (BN). Community studies in China have found the AN prevalence to be 0.01% and BN rates ranging from 0.5% to 1.3%. These rates are lower than ED rates in the West (particularly the U.S. and Britain). Body dissatisfaction (BD) and dieting rates, however, were similar to those in the West. BD rates ranged from 68% (Taiwan) to 81% (Korea) and dieting rates ranged from 34% (Taiwan) to 68% (Japan). Sociocultural and developmental risk factors were relevant to this population.

CONCLUSIONS

EDs in Asian populations have received little attention because they have been predominantly viewed as associated with Western culture. Classified by many as a "culture-bound syndrome" of the West, they may really be a culture-change syndrome.