Anorexia nervosa. An affective disorder?
Follow-up data on 26 patients hospitalized during adolescence for anorexia nervosa are presented. The mean length of follow-up was 4.9 years. There were no mortalities. Only one patient at the time of follow-up was still possibly anorexic. However, a substantial number of the patients did have other eating difficulties. Most striking was the clinical psychopathology present at follow-up, particularly the incidence of affective disorder. A large number of patients manifested depressive symptomatology in both the premorbid and the postmorbid states, as well as at the time of follow-up. A family history of affective disorder was particularly common in the mothers of the anorexic patients. Data from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a strong relationship between anorexia nervosa and affective disorder.
D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003193:Compulsive Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012557:Schizoid Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications