title: Outcome predictors in the short-term treatment of anorexia nervosa: an integrated medical-psychiatric approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Factors predicting clinical outcome in the short-term treatment of anorexia nervosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal follow-up study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, "Federico II" University of Naples.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight young anorectic women consecutively attending the outpatient Unit between January 1997 and December 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  Body weight changes over six months' follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Body weight changes in the short term was exclusively predicted by the prevalent underlying psychiatric disorder, being increased in the patients with prevalently depressive traits, decreased in those with psychotic features and unchanged in those with a prevalently narcissistic personality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalent psychiatric disorder seems to predict clinical outcome in the short term. Body weight gain per se cannot always be the main target of medical intervention, at least in the early phase of the treatment of malnutrition secondary to major eating disorders.
authors.affiliation: CISRO, Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Signorini
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bellini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasanisi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Contaldo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Filippo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001828:Body Image; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors; D015430:Weight Gain