Studies of Neuroendocrine and Energy Metabolism in Patients With Eating Disorders

The study subjects include female patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of AN (n = 30), BN (n = 60) and age-controled normal subjects (n = 30). They will receive a clinical interview and are asked to complete several self-administered questionnaires which included eating-related questionnaires, general psychological functioning scales and personality scales. After overnight fast, each subject undergoes a blood sample collection for neuroendocrine examination, body composition examination using BIA method, basal metabolic rate measurement by indirect calorimetry, and ECG in the morning between 0800 and 0900. Clinical patients would be asked to repeat filling the self-rating scales, weight and body fat measurement, as well as blood drawing again 2 months after treatment.