Katherine Ann Halmi

Serotonergic and opioidergic neurotransmitter system alterations have been observed in people with eating disorders; the genes for the serotonin 1D receptor (HTR1D) and the opioid delta receptor (OPRD1) are found on chr1p36.3–34.3, a region identified by our group in a linkage analysis of anorexia nervosa (AN). These candidate genes were evaluated for sequence variation and for linkage and association of this sequence variation to AN in family and case : control data sets. Resequencing ...

IMPORTANCE: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious disorder with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Family-based treatment (FBT) is an evidence-based therapy for adolescent AN, but less than half of those who receive this approach recover. Hence, it is important to identify other approaches to prevent the development of the chronic form of AN for which there is no known evidence-based treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare FBT with systemic family therapy (SyFT) for the treatment of ...

OBJECTIVE: The course of anorexia nervosa often includes the emergence of bulimic symptoms and a crossover to the full syndrome of bulimia nervosa. However, clinicians' ability to predict who will develop bulimia nervosa is limited. The converse phenomenon, crossover from bulimia nervosa to anorexia nervosa, has not been investigated as thoroughly. The authors identified factors that are associated with crossover from anorexia nervosa to bulimia nervosa and from bulimia nervosa to ...

OBJECTIVE: Perfectionism and obsessionality are core features of eating disorders (ED), yet the nature of their relation remains unknown. Understanding the relation between these traits may enhance our ability to identify relevant behavioral endophenotypes for ED.

METHOD: Six-hundred seven individuals with anorexia and bulimia nervosa from the International Price Foundation Genetic Study were assessed for perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and ...

We compared symptom patterns, severity of illness, and comorbidity in individuals with eating disorders with and without impulse control disorders (ICD), and documented the temporal pattern of illness onset. Lifetime ICD were present in 16.6% of 709 women with a history of eating disorders. The most common syndromes were compulsive buying disorder and kleptomania. ICD occurred more in individuals with binge eating subtypes, and were associated with significantly greater use of laxatives, ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of perfectionism as a phenotypic trait in anorexia nervosa and its relevance across clinical subtypes of this illness.

METHOD: The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the perfectionism subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory were administered to 322 women with a history of anorexia nervosa who were participating in an international, multicenter genetic study of anorexia nervosa. All participants were additionally ...

OBJECTIVE: Smoking has been reported as an appetite and weight control method in eating disorders; however, few studies have explored patterns of smoking across subtypes of eating disorders. The aim of this paper was to explore the patterns and prevalence of smoking behavior in 1,524 women from two of the multisite Price Foundation Genetic studies.

METHOD: Smoking behavior was assessed in 306 individuals with anorexia nervosa-restricting type (RAN), 186 with anorexia nervosa-purging type ...

OBJECTIVE: Vomiting is a pernicious symptom of eating disorders. We explored the relation between the symptom of vomiting and features of eating disorder course and severity, personality traits, and Axis I and II comorbidity in individuals with purging-type eating disorders.

METHOD: The sample included participants from the multisite, international Price Foundation Genetic Studies, who had an eating disorder diagnosis (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise ...

CONTEXT: There have been very few randomized controlled treatment studies of anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors leading to nonacceptance and noncompletion of treatment for 2 specific therapies and their combination in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.

DESIGN: Randomized prospective study.

SETTING: Weill-Cornell Medical Center, White Plains, NY; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. Patients One hundred twenty-two patients meeting ...

OBJECTIVE: Based on the well-documented association between eating disorders (EDs) and affective disorders, the patterns of comorbidity of EDs and major depressive disorder (MDD) were investigated. The temporal relation between EDs and MDD onset was analyzed to determine differences in the course and nature of MDD when experienced prior to versus after the onset of the ED.

METHOD: Lifetime MDD and depressive symptoms were assessed in 1371 women with a history of ED. The prevalence of MDD ...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of personality characteristics in women with eating disorders primarily have focused on women who are acutely ill. This study compares personality characteristics among women who are ill with eating disorders, recovered from eating disorders, and those without eating or other Axis I disorder pathology.

METHOD: Female participants were assessed for personality characteristics using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI): 122 with anorexia nervosa (AN; ...

Patients with eating disorders present with a wide range of eating-related preoccupations and or rituals. Yet, eating disorder assessments traditionally have measured a finite number of specific eating-disordered thoughts or actions. The current work presents a new instrument, the Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorder Scale (YBC-EDS), that does not limit assessment to a particular set of eating-related concerns or behaviors. Rather, it assesses the severity of illness associated with an ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe sexual functioning in women with eating disorders.

METHOD: We assessed physical intimacy, libido, sexual anxiety, partner status, and sexual relationships in 242 women from the International Price Foundation Genetic Studies relative to normative data.

RESULTS: Intercourse (55.3%), having a partner (52.7%), decreased sexual desire (66.9%), and increased sexual anxiety (59.2%) were common. Women with restricting and purging anorexia nervosa had a higher prevalence of ...