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28 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 systematic review looked at studies from 2000–2018 that measured how common eating disorders are. The authors followed PRISMA rules and included 94 studies with accurate diagnoses and 27 studies with broader categories. Across the accurate-diagnosis studies, women had higher rates than men. Point prevalence estimates rose over time from…
Researchers interviewed 92 adults with autism to study “camouflaging,” which means hiding or changing autistic behaviors in social situations. They used thematic analysis to make a three-stage model. People said they camouflage to fit in and make connections. Camouflaging included masking (hiding traits) and compensation (using learned social techniques). Reported…
Binge eating disorder (BED) is when someone often eats a very large amount of food in a short time and feels unable to stop. It is the most common eating disorder in the U.S. and is diagnosed when binge episodes happen at least once a week for 3 months. BED…
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,…
Orthorexia describes an extreme fixation on “healthy” eating that can harm a person’s health and life. The term was coined in 1997, but orthorexia is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5‑TR, so how common it is and whether it is its own disorder or part of anorexia or OCD…
Psychological Types is C. G. Jung’s book that grew from about twenty years of his clinical work. It explains his idea that people have different psychological types—most famously introversion and extraversion—and describes four basic functions (thinking, feeling, sensation, intuition). Jung wrote the book to link his clinical observations with wider…
This small study asked 15 people who had SSRI-related sexual problems to rate their emotions on a questionnaire. Compared with control participants, most of these patients reported weaker emotional responses across many areas, and 80% described clinically meaningful emotional blunting. The reduced emotional scores were statistically significant (p
This rapid review looked at research from 2009–2022 about outcomes for people with eating disorders. The authors found inconsistent definitions and limited long-term follow-up in the literature. Overall, the evidence points to low rates of remission and a high risk of death—especially for anorexia nervosa—and much of the research focuses…
This review examines empathy in people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). It says empathy is not simply missing in NPD, but is complex and varies by situation and motivation. The paper notes empathy has two parts—feeling with others (emotional empathy) and understanding others' thoughts and feelings (cognitive empathy)—and finds emotional…
The study recorded electrical muscle activity (EMG) from the forehead (frontalis) and calf (gastrocnemius) in 18 women with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and 19 nonanxious women during baseline, a lab stressor, and recovery. The GAD group had higher average EMG levels, and during the stressor they showed a drop in…
This 2020 article reviews studies on parenting, attachment, and empathy in people with pathological narcissism and proposes using mentalization-based treatment (MBT) as a main therapy. The authors say problems with mentalization — understanding one’s own and others’ thoughts and feelings — are central to their model. They describe core MBT…
