The study results appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association Wednesday.

    Prozac and its generic equivalents have often been prescribed for patients with anorexia nervosa.

    Anorexia nervosa, a disorder marked by extreme dieting and other behaviors to keep body weight abnormally low, has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. Up to 50 percent of patients who are discharged from hospital come back again within twelve months.

    The new study was carried out at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. 

    The researchers said Prozac is effective for treating the anxiety and depression which are common among patients with anorexia. Some patients with anorexia who also have bulimia will also benefit from taking Prozac. However, the drug has no effect in treating the anorexia nervosa itself.

    The disorder affects 1 to 2 percent of females in the U.S. and leads to death in an estimated 10 percent of cases. Enditem

    (Agencies)