Psychopharmacotherapy in eating disorders: a systematic analysis

The most common and serious eating disorders, which are particularly prevalent in young women, are anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorders (BED). Further, the prevalence of unspecific hyperphagous eating disorders frequently causing obesity is substantially increasing. All of these eating disorders tend to be chronic and comorbid to psychiatric diagnoses. Because of the multifactorial etiology, these disorders require a multimodal treatment. Among different treatment options, symptomatic psychopharmacotherapy has been an important component, and especially in recent decades, it has been subject to many trials. This article gives an overview of the current literature, summarizing diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, and critically discussing psychopharmacotherapy of those eating disorders. Based on the literature and our clinical experience, the psychopharmacological recommendations for patients with AN, BN, and BED are suggested.