Pathways to orthorexia nervosa: a case series discussion

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorders Research

Background:

• Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is increasingly recognized, with potential links to eating disorders, OCD, and psychotic disorders.
• Existing research primarily focuses on differential diagnosis in non-clinical populations.
• Clinical studies are needed to understand ON in real-world settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe clinical cases of ON developing after a prior psychiatric diagnosis.
• To explore potential clinical pathways and associations.

Main Methods:

• A case series of four women treated in an outpatient eating disorder unit.
• Diagnosis of ON using clinical interviews (Dunn and Bratman's criteria) and ORTO-15 questionnaire.
• Retrospective collection of psychiatric history.

Main Results:

• All four patients had a prior diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder before developing ON.
• Diagnoses included obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, illness anxiety disorder, and psychotic disorder.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first description of ON developing after other psychiatric disorders in a clinical setting.
• Findings suggest a potential link between prior psychiatric conditions and the later onset of ON.
• Raises new research questions regarding the association between diverse psychiatric disorders and subsequent ON development.