Investigated prospectively-assessed eating pathology (body image dissatisfaction and bulimia nervosa symptoms) among an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of adolescent girls with ADHD-Combined Type (ADHD-C; n=93), ADHD-Inattentive Type (ADHD-I; n=47), and a comparison group (n=88). The sample, initially aged 6-12 years, participated in a 5-year longitudinal study (92% retention rate). After statistical control of relevant covariates, girls with ADHD-C at baseline showed more eating pathology at follow-up than did comparison girls; girls with ADHD-I were intermediate between these two groups. Baseline impulsivity symptoms, as opposed to hyperactivity and inattention, best predicted adolescent eating pathology. With statistical control of ADHD, baseline peer rejection and parent-child relationship problems also predicted adolescent eating pathology. The association between punitive parenting in childhood and pathological eating behaviors in adolescence was stronger for girls with ADHD than for comparison girls. Results are discussed in terms of the expansion of longitudinal research on ADHD to include female-relevant domains of impairment, such as eating pathology.Keywords attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); girls; eating pathology; bulimia nervosa; body image dissatisfaction It is well known that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for delinquency, academic failure, substance abuse, and depression/anxiety in adolescence (Barkley, 2002;Mannuzza & Klein, 2000). Yet research has not examined relationships between ADHD and adolescent eating pathology, considered in this study to be body dissatisfaction and maladaptive bingeing/purging behaviors symptomatic of bulimia nervosa (BN). In this introduction, we review (a) reasons why such investigation has been limited, (b) theoretical rationale as to why ADHD and eating pathology may be linked, (c) existing research on this question, and (d) the potential for differential predictions regarding the ADHDInattentive (ADHD-I) vs. ADHD-Combined (ADHD-C) types.Address correspondence to Amori Yee Mikami, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400; mikami@virginia.edu. NIH Public Access Lack of Research on ADHD and Eating PathologyTwo factors that have limited the investigation of links between ADHD and eating pathology are the strong preponderance of males in the ADHD literature, far exceeding the community male:female ratio of 3:1 (Hinshaw & Blachman, 2005), and the focus on children as opposed to adolescents with ADHD. Eating pathology overwhelmingly affects females-who outnumber males 9:1 in diagnoses of BN and 3:1 in subclinical BN symptoms and body image dissatisfaction (Sweeting & West, 2002)-and post-pubertal adolescents (Stice, Presnell, & Bearman, 2001). A prospective longitudinal sample of girls with ADHD followed into adolescence is required to conduct a sensitive test of risk for eating pathology, yet this type of sample is...

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent but underdiagnosed psychiatric disorders in persons with HIV infection. Given the known adverse impact of comorbid MDD on HIV disease progression and health-related quality of life, it is important both for research and for efficient, effective clinical care, to validate existing screening measures that may discriminate between MDD and the somatic symptoms of HIV (such as fatigue). In the current study, we evaluated the concurrent predictive validity of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) Depression-Dejection scale in detecting current MDD in 310 persons with HIV infection. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) diagnosis of MDD and the Cognitive-Affective scale from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-CA) served as comparative diagnostic and severity measures of depression, respectively. Results demonstrated that the POMS Depression-Dejection scale accurately classified persons with and without MDD SCID diagnoses, with an overall hit rate of 80%, sensitivity of 55%, specificity of 84%, and negative predictive power of 91% using a recommended cutpoint of 1.5 standard deviations above the normative mean. Moreover, the POMS performed comparably to the BDI-CA in classifying MDD. Findings support the predictive validity of the POMS Depression-Dejection scale as a screening instrument for MDD in persons with HIV disease.

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