Necropsy findings and electrocardiograms from three women with anorexia nervosa were reviewed. Necropsy examination failed to establish an anatomic cause of death. Electrocardiograms recorded days or less before death showed various degrees of Q-T interval prolongation: Q-T intervals corrected for heart rate measured 0.61 s, 0.47 s, and 0.46 s, respectively. Terminal ventricular tachyarrhythmias were documented in two patients, including torsade de pointes in one. The necropsy and clinical findings in these three cases provide evidence that sudden death in anorexia nervosa, like sudden death in liquid-protein dieting, may result from ventricular tachyarrhythmias related to Q-T interval prolongation. For such patients, electrocardiographic monitoring should be routine.

This guideline watch reviews new evidence and highlights salient developments since the 2006 publication of APA's Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders, 3rd Edition. The authors of this watch constituted the work group that developed the 2006 guideline. We find the guideline to remain substantially correct and current in its recommendations. The sole exception is a recommendation (with moderate-level confidence) for sibutramine for binge-eating disorder. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew approval for sibutramine because clinical trials showed increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and the manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, subsequently withdrew this medication from the U.S. market. Noteworthy recent publications about the treatment of eating disorders include systematic reviews by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Berkman et al. 2006; Bulik et al. 2007); practice guidelines from international groups, including the Catalan Agency for Health Information, Assessment and Quality (Working Group of the Clinical Practice Guideline for Eating Disorders 2009), the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (Aigner et al. 2011), and the German Society of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy and the German College for Psychosomatic Medicine (Herpertz et al. 2011); and a 2011 guidance statement by the Academy for Eating Disorders, which was written by some of the authors of this From December 2011 to July 2012 (the time period during which this watch was developed), Drs. Yager, Devlin, Halmi, Herzog, Mitchell, Powers, and Zerbe report no competing interests. The American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) practice guidelines are developed by expert work groups using an explicit methodology that includes rigorous review of available evidence, broad peer review of iterative drafts, and formal approval by the APA Assembly and Board of Trustees. APA practice guidelines are intended to assist psychiatrists in clinical decision making. They are not intended to be a standard of care. The ultimate judgment regarding a particular clinical procedure or treatment plan must be made by the psychiatrist in light of the clinical data presented by the patient and the diagnostic and treatment options available. Guideline watches summarize significant developments in practice that have occurred since publication of an APA practice guideline. Watches may be authored and reviewed by experts associated with the original guideline development effort and are approved for publication by APA's Executive Committee on Practice Guidelines. Thus, watches represent the opinion of the authors and approval of the Executive Committee but not APA policy.

Objective: The concept of medical futility is accepted in general medicine, yet little attention has been paid to its application in psychiatry. We explore how medical futility and principles of palliation may contribute to the management of treatment refractory anorexia nervosa. Method:We review the case of a 30-year-old woman with chronic anorexia nervosa, treated unsuccessfully for several years.

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Six restricter type women with anorexia nervosa were interviewed regarding their pregnancies and four of the women were interviewed again three to four months following the birth of their children. Although these women were able to nutritionally sustain their fetuses during pregnancy, and there was a mitigation of their anorectic behaviors during pregnancy, all returned to their pre‐pregnancy anorectic thinking and behaviors following the births. The effects of the pregnancies on various aspects of their lives are reported, including marital relationships, body images, mood states, and cognitions. The early postpartum period is also described.

Factors residing in family systems have been implicated in the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa. In this paper I critically review literature that bears on this issue: the transmission of anorexia nervosa in families; family stress patterns, personality and psychopathological characteristics of parents, parent-child interactions, and whole family systems. Much additional research is needed to accurately determine the precise nature of such factors and the extent to which they actually contribute to the appearance of this syndrome.

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