The Effects of Pharmacological Treatment on Anorexia Nervosa

The Effects of Pharmacological Treatment on Anorexia Nervosa The Characteristics of Anorexia Nervosa Individuals with anorexia nervosa are so successful at losing weight that they put their lives in a great deal of danger. Although dramatic weight loss is the most noticeable feature of the disease, anorexics also have an intense fear of obesity and pursue thinness with unparallelled ambition (Bruch, 1986). Anorexia is most common among females, with only about five percent of those suffering from the disease being male. It is also most likely to develop in young females as a result of societal pressures on women to remain slim. The DSM-4 criteria for anorexia nervosa contains the following factors : maintenance of a body weight†¦show more content†¦Although a significant number of patients treated with this drug gained weight faster and were discharged sooner than those who received no medication, the chlorpromazine treated patients were no better off than those who were not treated with medicine on the follow-up, suggesting no beneficial effects of this medication. Also, t he side effects of chlorpromazine were horrific. A number of the patients developed very serious seizures, and almost half of them developed bulimia nervosa. Vandereycken and Pierloots (1982) study using pimozide was based on the finding that increased central dopaminergic activity might be a cause of anorexia. Although no change occurred in the patients behavior or attitude, a very small, but significant, increase in the mean daily weight gain did occur. In 1984, Vandereycken followed up with a study on the antipsychotic drug, sulpiride. However, no statistically significant effects of sulpiride occurred on either the mean daily weight change or the behavioral and attitudinal characteristics of the patients. Due to the inability to clearly determine if neuroleptics do help in the treatment of anorexia, interest in the use of this type of medication has greatly decreased. Also, the horrific side effects have led some clinicians away from neuroleptics. However, in very occasional rare cases, experienced clinicians have used antipsychotic medication to treat anorexia. The Effects of AntidepressantShow MoreRelatedFood Addiction1518 Words   |  7 PagesIndividuals who are under chronic emotional distress like negative feelings of self and inappropriate methods for dealing with emotional stress use food disorders. There are three main types of food addictions, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme fear of gaining weight and the relentless pursuit of thinness. 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