title: Case report of comorbid schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder in a patient who was tube-fed for four years by family members because of his refusal to eat.
abstract: Refusal to eat is a common presentation in many psychiatric disorders including obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. In the acute situation it may be a medical emergency; when it becomes chronic it can become an ingrained behavior that is difficult to change. The diagnosis of individuals who refuse to eat may be difficult, particularly in persons with comorbid medical problems, impaired intelligence, or lack of insight into their condition. Tube-feeding is an effective short-term intervention that can be discontinued when the patient re-starts oral intake. However, in some situations patients may become dependent on the use of tube-feeding. We present a case report of a patient with schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline intelligence, and seizure disorder who was tube-fed by his family members for more than three years because he refused to eat orally.
authors.affiliation: ESIC Medical College and Hospital, New Industrial Township 3A, Faridabad, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Ankur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sachdeva
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Drug De-addiction, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Park Street, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Drug De-addiction, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Park Street, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ankit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Drug De-addiction, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Park Street, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Beniwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Drug De-addiction, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Park Street, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kandpal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Drug De-addiction, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Park Street, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
keywords: India; borderline intelligence; case report; comorbid psychiatric disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder; refusal to eat; schizophrenia; seizure disorder