Faculty Bibliography

Reviews the book, The invisible man. A self-help guide for men with eating disorders, compulsive exercise, and bigorexia by John F. Morgan (see record 2007-18411-000). Dr. Morgan's The Invisible Man is a self-help guide tailored for those men struggling with eating disorders and body image disorders. Dr. Morgan, the author of multiple previous scientific publications on eating disorders and body image issues, is the head of Yorkshire Center for Eating Disorders in the United Kingdom. In this book Dr. Morgan argues that the majority of previous research, outreach, and treatment with regards to eating disorders have been focused on women. He has written The Invisible Man as a resource for the growing number of boys and men who are suffering from eating disorders and body image issues. In his book, Morgan targets a male audience. He provides easy to understand psychoeducation about these illnesses and he introduces cognitive behavioral and motivational treatments to help guide his reader toward recovery. The book follows a logical organization that accomplishes Dr. Morgan's apparent goal of providing information to the reader about the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders and body image issues in men. Dr. Morgan has produced an important contribution to the therapeutic community by providing a book for men and their families who may have otherwise suffered alone and in silence. He covers a great deal of useful information in a relatively brief book, though there are some weaknesses to note. Overall, this is a clearly written book that could be very be helpful for men struggling with eating disorders and body image issues. As the title outlines, this book is a 'self-help' book written for a male audience.

BACKGROUND: Awareness of the impact and prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has significantly increased in recent years. Given the dearth of reliable interventions, there is great interest in demonstrating efficacy of the various treatment options. A growing body of evidence links autism spectrum disorders to abnormalities in serotonin function, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been utilized to target various symptoms of the disorders. This article reviews the available data on the efficacy and tolerability of SSRIs in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Objectives for future research in this area will also be suggested. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: The entire PubMed database including MEDLINE (1966-July 2005) was searched for English-language biomedical articles. Search terms included autism, autism spectrum disorder, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, pervasive developmental disorder, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and sertraline. All clinical trials evaluating treatment outcomes associated with the use of SSRIs in managing symptoms of autism that were identified in the search were reviewed. All randomized controlled trials and open-label trials were included in this review. Case reports and case series were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: We identified 3 randomized controlled trials and 10 open-label trials or retrospective chart reviews on the use of SSRIs in autism and autism spectrum disorders. The SSRIs that have been studied in autism spectrum disorders are citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and sertraline. Most studies demonstrate significant improvement in global functioning and in symptoms associated with anxiety and repetitive behaviors. While side effects were generally considered to be mild, increased activation and agitation occurred in some subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Although SSRIs may demonstrate therapeutic benefit in autism spectrum disorders, methodological weaknesses of many of the clinical trials suggest the need for additional randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, given the increased awareness of the dangers associated with SSRI-induced activation and agitation, the presence of these side effects in the autistic population warrants closer attention to dosage, titration, and subject selection issues