Teenage anorexia nervosa: A1- to 9-year follow-up after psychodynamic treatment

A consecutive and clinically homogeneous group of 17 teenagers with anorexia nervosa who participated in a mainly outpatient programme with individual psychotherapy, regular parent counseling, and some family sessions, were followed up at a mean of 4 years (1-9 years). At follow-up study, globally all patients were doing well or fairly well both medically and psychosocially. Nine were completely recovered, whereas six had some minor anorectic symptoms. About one-third had minor neurotic problems. Only one functioned below expected educational level. Age of onset, duration of symptoms, and length of observation time were not related to outcome. The findings support the hypothesis that teenage anorectic patients with a stable family and good premorbid psychosocial functioning may constitute a subgroup of anorectic patients with a good prognosis.