[Prognosis of anorexia nervosa in adolescence]

A group of 28 patients with anorexia nervosa, who had fallen ill at the age of 15 (14 to 18) and were examined for the first time at the age of 17 (14 to 23), were all examined again 10 (5 to 20) years later. In the vast majority (25 cases), the anorexia syndrome sensu stricto had completely, or very nearly, disappeared. While weight and menstruation had returned to normal, nutrition behavior was sometimes still disturbed, although to a lesser extent than before. The course of the disease in the long term generally leads to disappearance of the symptoms; fatal issues and psychotic manifestations are extremely rare. In half of these 28 cases, however, there are other neurotic symptoms (depression, anxiety, obsession), indicating the underlying neurotic disturbance. In the matter of social integration (separation from original family, successful education, professional activity), positive developments predominate. More than one-third of the patients have married. The results are compared with those of some other investigations in this field.