Report of the National Institutes of Health workshop on overcoming barriers to treatment research in anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with serious medical morbidity and has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Workshop on Overcoming Barriers to Treatment Research in Anorexia Nervosa convened on September 26-27, 2002 to address the dearth of treatment research in this area. The goals of this workshop were to discuss the stages of illness and illness severity, pharmacologic interventions, psychological interventions, and methodologic considerations.


METHODS
The program consisted of a series of brief presentations by moderators, each followed by a discussion of the topic by workshop participants, facilitated by the session chair.


RESULTS
This report summarizes the major discussions of these sessions and concludes with a set of recommendations related to the development of treatment research in AN based on these findings.


CONCLUSIONS
It is crucial that treatment research in this area be prioritized.
Agras
W Stewart
WS
Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Brandt
Harry A
HA
Bulik
Cynthia M
CM
Dolan-Sewell
Regina
R
Fairburn
Christopher G
CG
Halmi
Katherine A
KA
Herzog
David B
DB
Jimerson
David C
DC
Kaplan
Allan S
AS
Kaye
Walter H
WH
le Grange
Daniel
D
Lock
James
J
Mitchell
James E
JE
Rudorfer
Matthew V
MV
Street
Linda L
LL
Striegel-Moore
Ruth
R
Vitousek
Kelly M
KM
Walsh
B Timothy
BT
Wilfley
Denise E
DE
D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004493:Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D012701:Serotonin