The aetiology of anorexia nervosa
Psychological MedicinePublished 1 May 1983Open access
L. K. George Hsu
Citations68
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.42
SNIP1.85
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235 Citations1974Katherine A. Halmi
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Psychological MedicineThe epidemiology of anorexia nervosa
224 Citations1973R. E. Kendell, David J. Hall +2 more
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American Journal of PsychiatryAbnormalities of dexamethasone suppression test and urinary MHPG in anorexia nervosa
170 Citations1981Robert H. Gerner, H E Gwirtsman
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PEDIATRICSWEIGHT AT MENARCHE: SIMILARITY FOR WELL-NOURISHED AND UNDERNOURISHED GIRLS AT DIFFERING AGES, AND EVIDENCE FOR HISTORICAL CONSTANCY
169 Citations1972Rose E. Frisch
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The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismSerum Thyroid Hormones and Thyrotropin in Anorexia Nervosa
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The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismCatecholamine Metabolism in Primary Anorexia Nervosa
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Psychological MedicineDepression in anorexia nervosa
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81 Citations1981P. J. V. Beumont, Suzanne Abraham +1 more
A majority of patients felt that a sexual challenge had precipitated their illness, and most reported a decrease in sexual interest and enjoyment following weight loss, particularly when this was severe.
The British Journal of PsychiatryAn Increase of Anorexia Nervosa in a University Population
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Psychosomatic MedicineA “Pubertal” 24-Hour Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Secretory Pattern Following Weight Loss in the Absence of Anorexia Nervosa
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17 Citations1975F. G. Foster, David J. Kupfer
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Psychological MedicineContinuous infusion of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in patients with anorexia nervosa
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The pattern of LH response to the 4-hour infusion was suggestive of a deficient stimulation by endogenous LHRH in patients at extremely low weights, and of an impaired oestrogen feedback mechanism in patients in intermediate weights.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental DiseaseAbnormal Mothering in the Genesis of Anorexia Nervosa
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The claim for the unreliability of maternal recall in providing developmental data for anorexic patients is supported and the first to cite contemporary childhood sources in elucidating the significance of abnormal mothering for the genesis of anorexia nervosa is cited.
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Di Peter Tyrer describes a number of investigations carried out at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, in which he investigated the effects of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade on mechanisms of possible importance in anxiety, and demonstrates that this approach may be as rewarding in psychiatry as in the rest of medicine.
