Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-xxrs7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T02:55:44.189Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Evaluation of treatment and intermediate and long-term outcome of adolescent eating disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2000

H.-C. STEINHAUSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
R. SEIDEL
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
C. WINKLER METZKE
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Abstract

Background. A cohort of 60 adolescent eating-disordered patients that was consecutively admitted between 1979 and 1988 to a child and adolescent psychiatric university department in Berlin, Germany was followed up at a mean of 5·0 years and for a second time at a mean of 11·5 years.

Methods. Each patient was personally interviewed and findings dealing with eating disorder symptoms and psychosocial functioning were rated on four-point scales. In addition, the duration of both in-patient and out-patient treatment and the Body Mass Index (BMI) were recorded.

Results. Patients were in treatment for a mean of 33% of the initial 5-year follow-up period, but this has dropped to a mean of 17% of the entire 11-year follow-up period. No predictors of treatment duration were found. The mortality rate was 8·3% at the second follow-up. The distribution of abnormal BMIs (<17·5) reflected a trend of improvement with increasing duration of follow-up. In comparison to the 5-year follow-up, fewer patients suffered from symptoms of the full clinical picture of an eating disorder at the 11-year follow-up. Among the surviving patients 80% recovered during the long-term course. There were few specific predictors of three different outcome criteria.

Conclusion. This outcome study of adolescent eating disorders provides further evidence that the long-term course of the disorders in terms of the eating pathology is better than can be expected after a few years. Very little can be said with regard to individual prognosis.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)