Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T21:00:09.075Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adoption and Eating Disorders: A High-Risk Group?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Neil L. Holden
Neil L. Holden*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham Medical School, Mapperley Hospital, Porchester Road, Nottingham NG3 6AA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Between 1975 and 1985, 3.8% of patients referred to the Maudsley Hospital with anorexia and bulimia were adoptees. This exceeds the rate of adoption (1.5%) in the general population matched for year of birth. The 18 adoptees with eating disorders had significantly more associated behavioural disturbance and lower academic achievement than the 18 matched controls, and different precipitating factors.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 158 , Issue 6 , June 1991 , pp. 829 - 833
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM–III). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn revised) (DSM–III–R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Cadoret, R. J., O'Gorman, T. W., Heywood, E., et al (1985) Genetic and environmental factors in major depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 9, 155–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cantwell, D. P., Sturzenberger, S., Burroughs, J., et al (1977) Anorexia nervosa. An affective disorder? Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 1087–1093.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H., Hsu, L. K. G., Harding, B., et al (1980) Clinical features of anorexia nervosa. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 24, 179–191.Google Scholar
Fairburn, C. C. & Cooper, P. J. (1984) The clinical features of bulimia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 238–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fry, R. & Crisp, A. H. (1989) Adoption and identity: A case of anorexia nervosa. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 62, 143–152.Google Scholar
Holland, A. J., Hall, A., Murray, R., et al (1984) Anorexia nervosa: a study of 34 twin pairs and one set of triplets. British Journal of Psychatry, 145, 414–419.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holland, A. J., Sidcotte, N., & Treasure, J. (1988) Anorexia nervosa: evidence for a genetic basis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 32, 561–571.Google Scholar
Home Office (1972) A survey of adoption in Great Britain (Research Study No. 10). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Hudson, J. I., Laffer, P. S. & Pope, H. G. (1982) Bulimia related to affective disorders by family history and response to the dexamethasone suppression test. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 685–687.Google Scholar
Hudson, J. I., Pope, H. G., Jonas, J. M., et al (1983) Family history study of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 133–138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, C. & Flach, A. (1985) Family characteristics of 105 patients with bulimia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 1321–1324.Google ScholarPubMed
Mackie, A. J. (1982) Families of adopted adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 5, 167–178.Google Scholar
McWhinnie, A. M. (1967) Adopted Children and How They Grow Up. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (1983) Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Life Assurance Company, 64, 2–9.Google Scholar
Office of Population Census and Surveys (1980) Classification of Occupation. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Ounsted, C. & Humphrey, M. (1963) Adopted families referred for psychiatric advice, part one, the children. British Journal of Psychiatry, 109, 599–608.Google Scholar
Price, R. A., Cadoret, R. J., Stunkard, A. J., et al (1987) Genetic contributions to human fatness: an adoption study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1003–1008.Google Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1970) Anorexia nervosa: its identity as an illness and its treatment. In Modern Trends in Psychosomatic Medicine (vol. 2) (ed. J. H. Price). London: Butterworth.Google Scholar
Sants, H. J. (1964) Genealogical bewilderment in children with substitute parents. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 37, 133–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sorosky, A. D., Baran, A. & Pannor, R. (1975) Identity conflicts in adoptees. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 45, 18–27.Google Scholar
Wellisch, E. (1952) Children without genealogy: a problem of adoption. Mental Health, 13, 41–42.Google Scholar
Wieder, H. (1977) On being told of adoption. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 46, 1–22.Google Scholar
Winokur, A., March, V. & Mendels, J. (1980) Primary affective disorder in relatives of patients with anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 695–698.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.