Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
10 papers
This fact sheet reports that people with eating disorders have higher death rates than the general population. Death rates are highest for anorexia nervosa (AN). Bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) have similar death rates. The sheet says older age at assessment was linked to higher…
This review found that eating disorders cause a large health and social burden. In 2017 eating disorders accounted for more than 3.3 million healthy years lost worldwide. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa show rising disability, higher death rates (especially after inpatient treatment for anorexia), lower quality of life, higher costs,…
Researchers surveyed 680 people who followed health-food accounts online. They measured eating behaviour and orthorexia nervosa symptoms with the ORTO-15 questionnaire. Higher Instagram use was linked to more orthorexia symptoms, while other social media did not show this effect (Twitter showed a small link in exploratory tests). About 49% of…
This long study followed 246 treatment-seeking women with anorexia or bulimia for about 9 years. Major depression was common and often long-lasting: 70% of those who had depression recovered, but 65% of those who recovered later relapsed. Recovery chances varied by type of eating disorder, and time on antidepressants was…
This was a small, phase 1 open-label study of 10 adult females with anorexia nervosa or partial remission who each received a single 25 mg dose of synthetic psilocybin plus psychological support. The main goal was to check safety and whether the treatment was tolerable and feasible. No serious adverse…
This narrative review summarizes what is known about eating disorders, focusing on anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED). The authors say these conditions often start in adolescence or early adulthood, are diagnosed more often in young women, and can harm physical, mental, and social health.…
This review describes the medical problems that can come with bulimia nervosa (BN). BN is a mental illness marked by binge-eating followed by purging such as vomiting, laxative or diuretic use, or insulin misuse. It is more common than anorexia, often affects people of normal or higher weight, and can…
This review says there is growing evidence of a link between ADHD and certain eating problems. The strongest links are with binge-eating behaviors and disorders that include bingeing and purging (bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and the binge–purge type of anorexia). Impulsivity is a likely but not proven part of the…
This paper is a systematic review of research on adults that looked at how eating disorders, body image, emotions, and self-esteem are linked. The authors searched three databases for papers from 2010–2024, screened 1,117 records, and included 6 studies, most of which had mostly female participants. The studies commonly found…
Body-dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness where a person is deeply upset and focused on a perceived physical flaw. The worry can take many hours a day, lead to repeated checking or grooming, hurt work and school life, and sometimes lead to hospital stays or thoughts of suicide. Research…
