Majority of Anorexia Patients are Prescribed Psychotropics Despite Lack of Data

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Research from the medical schools of Harvard University and the University of Melbourne, reported in the December International Journal of Eating Disorders, found that 53% of the women with anorexia studied reported current use of either an antidepressant (48.4%) or an antipsychotic (13%) despite a lack of data supporting efficacy for the condition. The researchers express concern, “given the known adverse effects of these medications.”

Abstract → Of further interest:
Anorexia Patients Prescribed SSRIs, Antipsychotics Without Proof Of Efficacy, Study Says (Huffington Post)

Fazeli, P., Calder, G., Miller, K.; et al; Psychotropic medication use in anorexia nervosa between 1997 and 2009. International Journal of Eating Disorders. December, 2012, 45(8); 970-976

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Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole, MFT, founding editor of Mad in America, works in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a couples and family therapist. Inspired by Open Dialogue, he works as part of a team and consults with couples and families that have members identified as patients. His work in residential treatment — largely with severely traumatized and/or "psychotic" clients — led to an appreciation of the power and beauty of systemic philosophy and practice, as the alternative to the prevailing focus on individual pathology. A former film-maker, he has undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University, as well as an MFT degree from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. He is a doctoral candidate with the Taos Institute and the Free University of Brussels. You can reach him at [email protected].

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