Techniques in Molecular Biology

suggest that over 40 percent of college females in their sample perceived themselves as overweight whereas only 12 percent actually demonstrated weight problems. Several of the chapters attempt to define anorexia's relation to other psychiatric diagnoses. The chapters by Solyom et al. and by Bemis note that the obsessive nature of the dietary restriction and fear of weight resemble aspects of obsessivecompulsive and phobic disorders. In this regard, perhaps the most intriguing parallels are drawn to alcoholism. Both anorexia and alcoholism are appetitive disorders where the ability to treat the immediate biological problem with detoxification or forced feeding, respectively, exceeds the ability to prevent relapse. Chapters by Crisp and Strober allude to similarities in the behavioral styles of alcoholics and anorectics. Also, a familial link between these syndromes is suggested in the chapters by Rakoff and Strober, who note increased incidence of alcoholism in parents of anorectics. A number of chapters focus on research implicating the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis in anorexia nervosa. Liebowitz, in her chapter, presents a broad review of research on monoamine systems which grapples with the significant alterations in neurotransmitter function in anorexia nervosa. While nicely reviewing many aspects of monoamine regulation, she does not discuss peptide influences on appetite regulation, particularly the developing literature pertaining to the effects of cholecystokinin on appetite regulation. Yet questions raised in the discussion of psychological variables continue to complicate biological models: if the alteration in eating is secondary to other psychopathology, one wonders if animal models should be directed at understanding the psychopathology rather than directly applying research on appetite regulation. The chapters on treatment approaches also span the behavioral, cognitive, family therapy, and psychotherapeutic techniques currently applied, with varying degrees of success, in this syndrome. Though perhaps not the most efficient means of introducing oneself to the field of anorexia nervosa, this volume presents both research and clinical information which should be useful for clinicians and researchers interested in this illness.