[3-year course after successful therapy of extreme anorexia nervosa]

Anorexia nervosa is a common psychiatric disorder in adolescents and young adults and is often associated with high rates of comorbidities and a chronic course of the disease. Additionally, it still shows the highest rates of mortality among all psychiatric disorders. The case presented describes a female patient with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa who achieved remission after strict adherence to inpatient treatment and showed a full recovery in the 3‑year follow-up. Shortly after achieving a minimum weight of 25 kg (171 cm, body mass index 8.5 kg/m²) the 21-year-old, chronically ill patient was admitted to an intensive care unit. After a phase of stabilization and achieving a BMI of 10 kg/m², she was transferred to a hospital specialized in treating eating disorders. It came to a full recovery of the patient including full weight restoration during regular follow-ups (BMI 20.0 kg/m²) and normalization of the psychopathology of the eating disorder. In a 3-year follow-up, the patient presented with an enduring and complete remission of all symptoms, which were extremely expressed during the illness.