Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E D Eckert

Publications and source records attributed to E D Eckert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Heritability of substance abuse and antisocial behavior: a study of monozygotic twins reared apart.

Thirty-two sets of monozygotic twins reared apart since shortly after birth (31 pairs and one set of triplets; median age at separation was 0.2 years) were interviewed separately and blindly using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for presence of DSM-III Axis I psychiatric disorders and antisocial personality. Because the sample was recruited from a nonclinical population, predictably few subjects met criteria for such disorders. However, items counting toward diagnoses were cumulated into four scores: alcohol-related problems, drug-related problems, childhood antisocial behavior, and adult antisocial behavior. The scores showed within-scale cohesion as measured by Cronbach's coefficient alpha. The drug scale and both antisocial scales showed significant heritability (p less than 0.1), but the alcohol scale had an estimated heritability of zero (albeit with a broad confidence interval). There appeared to be substantial commonalities in the genetic factors responsible for these traits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

A comparison study of antidepressants and structured intensive group psychotherapy in the treatment of bulimia nervosa.

Previous research on the treatment of outpatients with bulimia nervosa has focused on two treatment strategies: (1) drug therapy, primarily using tricyclic antidepressants, and (2) psychotherapy, often employing behavioral and cognitive behavioral techniques. We report here the short-term treatment outcome of a 12-week comparison trial of bulimic outpatients who were randomly assigned to one of four treatment cells: (1) imipramine hydrochloride treatment, (2) placebo treatment, (3) imipramine treatment combined with intensive group psychotherapy, and (4) placebo treatment combined with intensive group psychotherapy. All three active treatment cells resulted in significant reductions in target-eating behaviors and in a significant improvement in mood relative to placebo treatment. However, the results also suggested that the amount of improvement obtained with the intensive group psychotherapy component was superior to that obtained with antidepressant treatment alone. The addition of antidepressant treatment to the intensive group psychotherapy component did not significantly improve outcome over intensive group psychotherapy combined with placebo treatment in terms of eating behavior, but did result in more improvement in the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The influence of prior alcohol and drug abuse problems on bulimia nervosa treatment outcome.

This study examined the impact of prior alcohol/drug abuse problems on long-term outcome for a series of women with bulimia nervosa. The patients with a history of alcohol/drug abuse problems were not more likely to demonstrate a pattern drug use following bulimia treatment, and overall their outcome was comparable to the outcome of those patients who had not had alcohol/drug abuse problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Bulimia nervosa in overweight individuals.

Patients who have bulimia nervosa and are overweight have received little attention in the medical literature. The authors identified 25 patients who weighed greater than or equal to 130% of their ideal body weight out of a series of 591 patients with bulimia nervosa. This subgroup was contrasted with a sample of 25 patients with bulimia nervosa who were 90% to 110% of their ideal body weight. Members of the overweight bulimia nervosa group were binge-eating and vomiting less frequently than the comparison group but were more likely to be abusing laxatives, and to report a history of self-injurious behavior and suicide attempt(s). Both groups reported frequent binge-eating.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1990

Maintenance treatment and 6-month outcome for bulimic patients who respond to initial treatment.

Bulimic subjects who responded to intensive group psychotherapy plus imipramine or placebo or to imipramine alone (N = 68) were assigned to 4-month maintenance with weekly support groups and/or medication (placebo or imipramine) and were evaluated 6 months after initial treatment (N = 61). Thirty percent of the subjects relapsed during the 6 months. Initial treatment with group psychotherapy plus placebo or imipramine was associated with a lower relapse rate than initial treatment with imipramine alone. Neither attendance at the maintenance group sessions nor imipramine maintenance was associated with better outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Response to alternative antidepressants in imipramine nonresponders with bulimia nervosa.

The authors report the results of open-label antidepressant trials in a series of normal weight bulimic women who showed an inadequate response to an initial trial of imipramine hydrochloride as part of a treatment comparison study. The results indicate that a significant percentage of subjects responded to a second trial of an alternative agent. Overall, 47% had a complete remission of symptoms during the second trial, usually with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor or fluoxetine. The authors stress the importance of persisting in trials of alternative agents if bulimic patients fail to respond to an initial trial.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of bulimic and non-bulimic anorexia nervosa patients during treatment.

Bulimic and non-bulimic anorexics were compared on psychological variables during a hospital treatment study. Although before treatment bulimic anorexics displayed more overall psychopathology than non-bulimics, many of the differences disappeared with treatment. There was no difference in severity of depression or body size estimation in these groups both before and with treatment. There was no difference in treatment response as measured by rate of weight gain. More expression of discomfort by bulimic anorexics during the acute phase of illness may in part account for some described differences in these two groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Eating disorders.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Feeding and Eating Disorders↗
PubMed1986

Characteristics of patients with bulimia only, bulimia with affective disorder, and bulimia with substance abuse problems.

Characteristics of patients with a diagnosis of bulimia only (N = 46), bulimia with a history of affective disorder (N = 34), and bulimia with a history of substance abuse (N = 34) were compared. Results showed that compared to patients with bulimia only or with bulimia and affective disorders, patients with bulimia and substance abuse experienced a higher rate of diuretic use to control weight, financial and work problems, stealing before and after the onset of the eating disorder, previous psychiatric inpatient treatment, and greater amount of alcohol use after the onset of the eating disorder. Both the substance abuse group and affective disorder group showed a higher incidence of attempted suicide, more social problems, and greater overall treatment rate than the bulimia only group. There were no significant differences among groups in their family histories.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1986

Laxative abuse as a variant of bulimia.

Two groups of bulimic patients, one group characterized by a pattern of laxative abuse for purposes of weight control and the other group characterized by no history of laxative abuse, were compared on several behavioral variables associated with bulimia. Relative to the nonabusers, the laxative abusers were more likely to abuse diuretics; to use diet pills; to chew and spit out food; and to report a history of suicide attempts, self-injurious behavior, and prior inpatient treatment for depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Homosexuality in monozygotic twins reared apart.

We describe six pairs of monozygotic twins, in which at least one member of five pairs were homosexual, and one of the remaining pair was bisexual, from a series of 55 pairs, reared apart from infancy; all the female pairs were discordant for homosexual behaviour. This and other evidence suggest that female homosexuality may be an acquired trait. One male pair was concordant for homosexuality, while the other was not clearly concordant or discordant; this suggests that male homosexuality may be associated with a complex interaction, in which genes play some part.

Adult↗