BMJ  2007;334:894-898 (28 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39171.616840.BE

Clinical Review

Anorexia nervosa

Jane Morris, consultant psychiatrist, young people's unit, Sara Twaddle, director, Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network

Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh EH10 5HF

Correspondence to: J Morris ejanemorris@talk21.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality of any psychiatric disorder.1 It has a prevalence of about 0.3% in young women. It is more than twice as common in teenage girls, with an average age of onset of 15 years; 80-90% of patients with anorexia are female. Anorexia is the most common cause of weight loss in young women and of admission to child and adolescent hospital services. Most primary care practitioners encounter few cases of severe anorexia nervosa, but these cause immense distress and frustration in carers and professionals. We describe the clinical features of anorexia nervosa and review the current evidence on treatment and managementGo.


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  		Nineteenth century drawing of young woman with anorexia nervosa

 
Ironically, this most lethal of psychiatric disorders is the Cinderella of research. It is hard to engage patients with anorexia for treatment, let alone research. Furthermore, the complexity of coordinated approaches used in most . . . [Full text of this article]

Cognitive analytic therapy
Cognitive behaviour therapy
Interpersonal psychotherapy
Motivational enhancement therapy
Dynamically informed therapies
Conjoint therapy
Separated family therapy
Multifamily groups
Relatives' and carers' support groups

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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Denner, A. M., Townley, S. A. (2009). Anorexia nervosa: perioperative implications. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain 9: 61-64 [Full text]  

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