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Long Term Outcome of Anorexia Nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Lyndall M. Jones ,
W.K. Halford  and
Roger T. Dooley
Lyndall M. Jones*
Affiliation:
The Prince Charles Hospital
W.K. Halford
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Roger T. Dooley
Affiliation:
Private Practice
*
Winston Noble Unit, The Prince Charles Hospital, Rode Road, Chermside QLD 4032, Australia.
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Abstract

The long-term outcome (mean follow-up period 5.7 years) for 20 patients with anorexia nervosa was assessed on a comprehensive battery of self-report inventories and a structured clinical interview. Two thirds of the cohort were improved to a clinically significant degree at follow-up, but the majority still showed higher than normal scores on inventories of anorexic symptomatology, social maladjustment, anxiety, and hostility. The remaining one third were unimproved and demonstrated a broad range of impairment including distorted attitudes toward eating, overconcern about body shape, poor social functioning, high levels of anxiety, hostility, depression, and external locus of control. Moderate to strong correlations were found across outcome measures. Longer duration of eating difficulties before presentation was a strong predictor of poor long-term outcome, suggesting a chronic relapsing form of the disorder occurred in a subgroup of patients.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , June 1993 , pp. 93 - 102
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1993

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