General psychopathological symptoms in children, adolescents, and young adults with anorexia nervosa—a naturalistic study on follow-up and treatment (original) (raw)

Clinical Characteristics of Inpatients with Childhood vs. Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

Nutrients

We aimed to compare the clinical data at first presentation to inpatient treatment of children (<14 years) vs. adolescents (≥14 years) with anorexia nervosa (AN), focusing on duration of illness before hospital admission and body mass index (BMI) at admission and discharge, proven predictors of the outcomes of adolescent AN. Clinical data at first admission and at discharge in 289 inpatients with AN (children: n = 72; adolescents: n = 217) from a German multicenter, web-based registry for consecutively enrolled patients with childhood and adolescent AN were analyzed. Inclusion criteria were a maximum age of 18 years, first inpatient treatment due to AN, and a BMI <10th BMI percentile at admission. Compared to adolescents, children with AN had a shorter duration of illness before admission (median: 6.0 months vs. 8.0 months, p = 0.004) and higher BMI percentiles at admission (median: 0.7 vs. 0.2, p = 0.004) as well as at discharge (median: 19.3 vs. 15.1, p = 0.011). Thus, in ou...

Anorexia nervosa 6 years after onset: Part II. Comorbid psychiatric problems

Comprehensive Psychiatry, 1995

A sample of anorexia nervosa (AN) cases recruited after community screening were contrasted with an age-, sex-, and school-matched comparison (COMP) group with regard to comorbidity at age 21 years, approximately 6 years after the reported onset of the eating disorder. Both groups had originally been examined at age 16 years. Most of the AN cases no longer met criteria for AN, but many continued to meet criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) or eating disorder NOS. In addition, there was a high rate of obsessivecompulsive disorders (OCDs). Affective disorders had been common throughout the follow-up period, but tended to follow the course of the eating disorder rather than to precede or postdate it. Underlying personality disorders tended to predict poor outcome.

Comorbid mental disorders during long‐term course in a nationwide cohort of patients with anorexia nervosa

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2021

Objective: Comorbid mental disorders in anorexia nervosa during long-term course require detailed studies. Method: This matched cohort study was based on nationwide Danish register data of all patients born 1961-2008 with a first-time ICD-10 diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN) between 1994 and 2018 at age 8-32 and matched controls taken from all individuals without an eating disorder (ED). For nine categories of non-eating mental disorders, time from date of first AN-diagnosis (inclusion date) to time of first diagnosis, accounting for censoring, was studied by use of time-stratified Cox models. Results: A total of 9,985 patients with AN (93.5% females) and 49,351 matched controls were followed for a median (IQR) of 9.0 (4.4-15.7) years. For patients, there was about 25% and 55% risk of receiving any non-ED disorder during the first 2 years and two decades after inclusion, respectively. A hazard ratio (HR) of seven for any non-ED was found for the first 12 months after inclusion, a ratio that reduced to two at five or more years after inclusion. During the first years, large HRs ranging in 6-9 were found for affective, autism spectrum, personality, and obsessivecompulsive disorders with the latter displaying the highest continuous increased risk. The HR at 12 months after inclusion was highest for any non-ED disorder and affective disorders in patients aged 8-13 at diagnosis. Discussion: Comorbid mental disorders in AN are most frequently diagnosed in the first years after diagnosis of AN and on longer terms imply a double immediate risk.

The outcome of treatment for anorexia nervosa inpatients who required urgent hospitalization

BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 2014

Background: This study was done to determine which psychosocial factors are related to the urgent hospitalization of anorexia nervosa patients (AN) due to extremely poor physical condition and to evaluate their outcome after inpatient treatment. Methods: 133 hospitalized AN patients were classified into an urgent hospitalization (n = 24) or a planned hospitalization (n = 109) group. Multiple regression analysis was done of clinical features, body mass index (BMI), psychological tests [The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), alexithymia, relationship with parents, and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI)]. The effectiveness of treatment was prospectively determined two years after discharge by the Global Clinical Score (GCS). The hospitalized weight gain and the frequency of outpatient visits were evaluated. Results: Of the factors assessed, only BMI at admission was related to the necessity of urgent hospitalization (β = − 1.063, P = 0.00). The urgent group had significantly more weight loss after discharge and poorer social adaptation on the GCS, even when the patient had a sufficient increase in body weight during inpatient treatment and an equivalent number of outpatient consultations. Conclusion: None of the parameters of the psychosocial tests studied were significantly different between the groups. The outcome of the urgent group was poor. Two years after discharge they had difficulty maintaining weight and continued to have poor social adaptation.

Short-term outcome of anorexia nervosa in adolescents after inpatient treatment: a prospective study

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2009

The current study describes the short-term outcome of adolescent inpatient population suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) and analyzes the clinical predictors of poor outcome in these patients. Fifty-seven female AN patients (mean = 15.8, SD = 1.3) admitted for inpatient treatment to a specialized eating disorder unit at a university medical center were reassessed 1 year after being discharged. Assessments were made at the beginning and at the end of the inpatient treatment as well as at the 1-year followup. Self-rating data and expert-rating interview data were obtained. Adequate data for 55 (96.5%) cases allowed for the assignment of an outcome category. A total of 28.1% of the patients' cases showed a good outcome, meaning the patients fully recovered, and 8.8% had an intermediate outcome, and 59.6% of the patients' cases had a poor outcome. Significant predictors of poor outcome included the patient's BMI at the beginning of the treatment as well as psychiatric comorbidity, and purging behavior. Adolescent AN is a severe disorder with a poor outcome in a substantial amount of adolescents.

General psychopathology in anorexia nervosa: the role of psychosocial factors

Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 2010

The aim of the present study was to investigate psychosocial correlates of comorbid psychopathology. Data were collected from a total of 90 female inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Higher levels of general psychopathology were detected in depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive–compulsive and anxiety subscales of the Symptom Checklist (SCL)-90. Regression analysis also revealed that higher levels of psychopathology across SCL-90 subscales in AN patients are significantly associated with an earlier age of onset of the condition, higher levels of anorectic psychopathology as measured by Eating Disorders Examination, lower self-esteem as measured by Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory and social support levels as measured by Quality of Social Network and Social Support Questionnaire. Considering the high levels of general psychopathology in people with AN, routine clinical practice should aim for a comprehensive assessment of such. Given the strong association between psychosocial factors such as self-esteem, social support and general psychopathology, psychological therapies could play an important role in facilitating emotional recovery. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Key Practitioner Message:• Levels of depressive and anxiety psychopathology are elevated in people with Anorexia Nervosa.• Routine clinical practice should involve a comprehensive assessment of general psychopathology in people with Anorexia Nervosa.• Psychological interventions targeting self-esteem and interpersonal difficulties may be useful in the treatment of general pathology in people with Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia Nervosa: Reduction in Depression during Inpatient Treatment Is Closely Related to Reduction in Eating Disorder Psychopathology

Journal of Personalized Medicine

Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe mental disorder frequently associated with high scores of depressiveness. We examined the short-term effects of inpatient treatment on depressiveness and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology using the self-rating Major Depression Inventory (MDI) and Eating Disorder Examination questionnaire (EDEq) for patients with AN. Material: Forty-nine patients with AN, all part of the PROspective Longitudinal all-comer inclusion study on EDs (PROLED), were observed over eight weeks with baseline psychometric measures, EDE-q at baseline and endpoint, and weekly MDI self-scoring. Methods: Apart from the weekly Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements, patients were assessed at baseline using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Symptom Check List 92 (SCL-92). Results: Inpatient treatment reduced MDI consistently over 8 weeks (Wilks Lambda = 0.59, F = 4.1, p < 0.01) and this reduction in MDI was positively correlated with a reduction in EDEq (r = 0....

A comparison of clinical and psychological features in subgroups of patients with anorexia nervosa

European Eating Disorders Review, 2003

Background:In DSM-IV anorexics who purge without binging (AN-P) are considered together with the binge eating purging subgroup (AN-B). Few studies have investigated whether it is binge eating per se or the compensatory behaviours that provide the most relevant marker for subclassifying anorexia nervosa.In DSM-IV anorexics who purge without binging (AN-P) are considered together with the binge eating purging subgroup (AN-B). Few studies have investigated whether it is binge eating per se or the compensatory behaviours that provide the most relevant marker for subclassifying anorexia nervosa.Methods:We compared 40 restricting-type anorexics (AN-R), 40 AN-B and 38 AN-P subjects consecutively admitted to our inpatient treatment. We excluded patients who had not had a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa for at least 1.5 years duration.We compared 40 restricting-type anorexics (AN-R), 40 AN-B and 38 AN-P subjects consecutively admitted to our inpatient treatment. We excluded patients who had not had a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa for at least 1.5 years duration.Results:AN-B patients showed a slightly more severe eating disorder symptomatology, while in terms of body weight AN-R and AN-P present a higher degree of weight loss. Psychiatric symptoms were similar in the three groups. Sexual abuse, suicide attempts and dissociative symptoms were higher in AN-P and AN-B patients compared to AN-R.AN-B patients showed a slightly more severe eating disorder symptomatology, while in terms of body weight AN-R and AN-P present a higher degree of weight loss. Psychiatric symptoms were similar in the three groups. Sexual abuse, suicide attempts and dissociative symptoms were higher in AN-P and AN-B patients compared to AN-R.Discussion:Our results together with the fact that it is difficult to define binge eating in anorexic subjects and that purging behaviours are often associated with severe medical complications, support the subtyping system of anorexia nervosa based on the presence/absence of purging behaviours rather than of binge eating. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.Our results together with the fact that it is difficult to define binge eating in anorexic subjects and that purging behaviours are often associated with severe medical complications, support the subtyping system of anorexia nervosa based on the presence/absence of purging behaviours rather than of binge eating. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.