Skip to main content
Full access
Professional News
Published Online: 4 January 2013

Eating-Disorders Guideline Still Current and Valid, Panel Finds

A review of the 2006 APA practice guideline on eating disorders finds that it is substantially current and is not affected by changes in diagnostic criteria in DSM-5.

Abstract

An expert panel finds the 2006 eating disorders practice guideline still valid and current.

Abstract

APA’s eating disorders guideline is still current.

Abstract

The APA practice guideline on eating disorders was reviewed by an expert panel and found to be substantially current and correct and is not affected by changes in diagnostic criteria in DSM- 5 .
The APA practice guideline on the treatment of eating disorders, originally issued in 2006, is still current and can be regarded by clinicians as valid.
That was the determination of an expert panel led by Joel Yager, M.D., chair of the APA Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines. Their review of the practice guideline and recent treatment research are available on APA’s Web site under the title “Guideline Watch: Practice Guideline for Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders–Third Edition.”
Yager’s coauthors are Michael Devlin, M.D., Katherine Halmi, M.D., David Herzog, M.D., James Mitchell III, M.D., Pauline Powers, M.D., and Katherine Zerbe, M.D.
The sole problem in the guideline is a recommendation for use of sibutramine for the treatment of binge-eating disorder. But since the guideline was issued, the Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn approval for sibutramine because clinical trials showed increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Also, the manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, subsequently withdrew this medication from the U.S. market, Yager said.
Guideline watches summarize significant developments in practice that have occurred since publication of an APA practice guideline. Watches may be written and reviewed by experts associated with the original guideline development and are approved for publication by APA’s Executive Committee on Practice Guidelines. Thus, watches represent the opinion of the authors and have the approval of the Executive Committee but are not APA policy.
Yager added that in their review of the practice guideline, he and fellow authors anticipated changes in criteria that were proposed for eating disorders in the new DSM-5 and that have since been approved by the APA Board of Trustees—and found that the changes in diagnostic criteria do not affect the validity of the practice guideline.
For the practice guideline watch, Yager and colleagues searched MEDLINE, using PubMed, for randomized, controlled trials and meta-analyses published from 2003 through December 13, 2011, searching on words related to eating disorders. The search yielded 1,346 articles; of these, 693 were rejected as not relating to treatment of eating disorders.
They retained and reviewed 91 articles pertaining to anorexia nervosa, 84 to bulimia nervosa, 95 to binge eating, 12 to osteoporosis treatment in eating disorders, and 60 to miscellaneous topics, most of which covered more than one eating disorder. The watch reviews literature pertaining to anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and eating disorders in middle age and later life.
Yager said other practice-guideline watches that are being readied for publication include reviews of guidelines for obsessive-compulsive disorder and for Alzheimer’s and related disorders.
“The purpose of the guideline watch is to review evolving literature related to a guideline and to bring to the attention of clinicians the advances that have been made in the field,” Yager said. “We want to examine how a practice guideline has stood the test of time and to provide clinicians with important updates.” ■
“Guideline Watch: Practice Guideline for Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders-Third Edition” is posted at http://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Practice/ED_PG_Watch_August_2012.pdf.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

History

Published online: 4 January 2013
Published in print: December 22, 2013 – January 4, 2013

Keywords

  1. Eating disorders
  2. APA practice guideline
  3. Practice guideline watch

Authors

Details

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share