Good outcome of adolescent onset anorexia nervosa after systematic treatment - Intermediate to long-term follow-up of a representative county-sample

We studied the intermediate to long-term outcome of childhood and adolescent onset anorexia nervosa (AN), in a sample that had received systematic treatment based on close cooperation between parents, paediatric department and child and adolescent psychiatry. Of 55 female AN-patients, 51 were examined 3.5-14.5 years after treatment start. The material includes all AN-patients under 18 years in one county that received inpatient treatment and almost all that received outpatient treatment, during the time period 1986-1998. Forty-two (82 %) subjects had no eating disorder (ED) at follow-up, one (2 %) had AN, one (2 %) bulimia nervosa (BN) and seven (14%) had less severe ED (EDNOS). Except the one with BN, none had bulimic symptoms. There was no mortality. Twenty (41 %) had one or more other axis-1 psychiatric diagnoses at follow-up. Depression and anxiety disorders were most frequent. Psychosocial functioning assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) was fairly good; mean 73 +/- SD14 for symptoms and mean 77 +/- SD13 for functioning. Only 48 % were satisfied with life, compared to 83% in a normal population sample. Our conclusion is that the eating disorder outcome was good. However, in accordance with other studies, many subjects had other psychiatric problems at follow-up.