Internalizing and externalizing conditions in adolescent anorexia.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing conditions in referred anorexic adolescents.


METHODS
Child Behavior CheckList (CBCL) and Youth Self Report (YSR) were used to assess psychopathology: (a) in the global sample (43 adolescents); (b) in different subtypes of anorexia; (c) considering the timing of admission after the onset of the disease.


RESULTS
A high percentage of patients were found in the internalizing clinical range both at CBCL and YSR. Higher mean values were found in full syndromes both at CBCL and YSR, and in the binge-eating subtype only at the YSR. Subjects arrived within the first year of illness showed a less severe psychopathology.


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents with anorexia have high rates of internalizing psychopathology. The less severe psychopathology in adolescents arrived within the first year of illness shed light on discontinuity between anorexia and internalizing condition. On the basis of the psychopathological severity, three types of adolescent anorexia are proposed which could be of interest for therapeutic decisions.
Muratori
Filippo
F
Division of Child Neuropsychiatry, Scientific Institute Stella Maris, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. f.muratori@inpe.unipi.it
Viglione
Valentina
V
Maestro
Sandra
S
Picchi
Lara
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013577:Syndrome