Between 5 and 9 years' follow-up in the treatment of anorexia nervosa

The paper reports on the clinical characteristics, treatment and results of a group of 41 patients suffering from anorexia nervosa. All patients were diagnosed according to DSM-III criteria. Mean age was 18.6 years, within a range from 12 to 33 years. The group was formed by 40 female patients and 1 male. Twenty-nine percent of the patients had previously received treatment. Duration of treatment fell within a range of 10-36 months, 18-24 being the most frequent. Forty-four and a half percent of the patients were admitted to hospital with a 59-day mean time of hospitalization and treatment was positive in over 80% of cases. Two patients suffered a relapse during the first 2 or 3 years, but later recovered. Five years after the beginning of treatment, 1 patient suffered a relapse and received supplementary treatment.