Atypical anorexia nervosa (atypical AN) appears to be a heterogeneous disorder under the current diagnostic system. Though the body mass index (BMI) cutoff point of 18.5 kg/m2 is a criterion that distinguishes atypical AN from AN, the cutoff may not be universally applicable as the norms for BMI vary and can be affected by several factors, including cross‐country differences and social determinants. It is unfortunate that we do not yet have reliable or widely available criteria other than BMI for the diagnosis of atypical AN. Additional relevant markers of atypical AN are needed in future diagnostic systems.

Objective Heightened sensitivity toward social rejection has been implicated in eating disorders (ED) and personality disorder (PD). This study examined the effect of a cognitive bias modification training (CBM‐I) targeting the interpretation of ambiguous social situations in individuals with comorbid ED and PD. Method A total of 128 participants [33 with ED and PD, 22 with ED‐only, 22 with PD‐only, and 51 healthy controls (HC)] were recruited from a hospital and university settings, and included in the final analyses. The participants were randomly assigned to a CBM‐I task with benign resolutions or a control task with neutral resolutions in a counterbalanced order in two sessions using a within‐subject design. Interpretation bias toward social stimuli was measured using the ambiguous sentence completion task before and after completing the assigned task. Results The CBM‐I task increased benign and decreased negative interpretations with large effect sizes in the diagnostic groups, and with a moderate effect size in the HC group. Participants' anxiety levels were also reduced after the task. The size of the change in negative interpretation was positively associated with baseline negative affect, and negatively associated with baseline positive affect. Discussion The results suggest that modifying interpretation bias has the potential as a transdiagnostic target of treatment for ED and PD, and a fully powered clinical trial with consecutive sessions would be warranted. Public Significance Participants with eating disorders and/or personality disorder, and healthy controls completed a single session of a cognitive training intervention targeting rejection sensitivity. The training produced a large decrease in negative interpretation in the diagnostic groups, and a moderate effect in healthy controls. The findings indicate that training for positive processing of social information may be of value to augment treatment in conditions such as eating disorders and personality disorder, in which there are high levels of rejection sensitivity.

Objective This study aimed at investigating the negative emotion‐related eating behaviours of young women with extreme weights or eating disorders (EDs). Method A total of 808 young women participated including 144 with underweight (UW), 364 with normal‐weight (NW) and 137 with overweight (OW; including 27 with obesity) from universities, and 63 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), and 100 patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) from a hospital. Participants were interviewed and completed questionnaires on eating behaviours related to negative emotions. Results While both OW and BN groups ate more in response to negative emotions, UW and AN groups ate less compared to NW group. Negative feelings after overeating were prominent in OW group and patients with ED. In negative emotions, patients with EDs preferred sweet tastes, but BN group preferred spicy tastes less. Patients with EDs had increased external eating, and BN group also showed increased restrained eating. Neuroticism had indirect impacts on OW status via emotional eating unlike BN. Conclusions The results suggest that UW and OW status were on the spectrum of emotional eating, and AN and BN were on the extremes of external eating, which may be integrated into the development of interventions targeting each status.

Both underweight (UW) and overweight (OW) conditions are problematic in young women. The aim of this study was to examine the factors associated with extreme weight status and eating disorders (EDs) in young Korean women. A total of 808 women (mean age 22.3 ± 3.4 years) participated, including 144 with UW [Body Mass Index (BMI) < 18.5kg/m2], 364 with NW, and 137 with OW or obesity (BMI ≥ 25kg/m2), and 63 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and 100 with bulimia nervosa (BN). Participants completed questionnaires regarding nutrients consumed, eating behaviors, health behaviors, body image, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms with face to face interviews. The associations between the status of participants and the data were analyzed with NW group as a reference. OW status was associated with overeating and with frequent eating. UW status was associated with less frequent overeating and with longer sleep duration. AN status was associated with less frequent consumption of alcohol. BN status was associated with a larger discrepancy between the ideal and current body shape. Both OW status and BN were associated with more obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The results suggested that certain dietary, health, and psychological factors are associated with extreme weight conditions and EDs.

BackgroundExtreme weight conditions in young women are associated with adverse health outcomes. Closely linked with extreme weight status, eating disorders (EDs) are associated with several medical complications and high mortality rates.ObjectiveThe study aimed to investigate the biochemical, hematologic, and skeletal features of young Korean women with underweight (UW) and overweight/obesity (OW) conditions, and patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) compared to women with normal-weight (NW).MethodA total of 808 women (mean age 22.3 ± 3.4 years) were recruited for the study, including 144 with UW status [body mass index (BMI) &lt; 18.5 kg/m2], 364 with NW, 137 with OW or obesity (27 with obesity; BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), 63 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), and 100 with bulimia nervosa (BN). We measured blood pressure and performed biochemical, hematologic and bone mineral density (BMD) evaluations at the lumbar and femoral neck.ResultsBlood pressure and triiodothyronine levels were found to be lower in both ED groups and higher in the OW group, but no difference in the UW group, compared to the NW group. The aminotransferases and total cholesterol levels were higher in the ED and OW groups, compared to the NW group. Blood cell counts were decreased in the AN group, while increased in the OW group, compared to the NW group. Blood urea nitrogen was elevated in both ED groups. The UW and AN groups had lower BMD, whereas the OW group had higher BMD, compared to the NW group.ConclusionOur findings suggested that both ED groups were associated with decreases in the resting energy expenditure. OW status was associated with a risk of metabolic syndrome, and UW status with lower BMD in young women. Overall, the medical parameters in Korean patients with ED were similar to the patterns reported in Western samples in previous studies, with few exceptions such as potassium level in BN.