Description
Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe, life-threatening psychiatricdisorder typically emerging in adolescence. Chronic AN often involves serious
medical complications, significant psychological comorbidities, and strong
resistance to treatment. Despite treatment advances, long-standing cases
remain challenging in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Objective: To analyse the longitudinal clinical course and treatment outcomes of
an adolescent patient with chronic restrictive AN, highlighting the dynamics and
efficacy of sustained multidisciplinary care.
Methods: This retrospective case study describes a female patient admitted
in 2020 at age 14 and treated continuously until age 18 at a tertiary-level child
psychiatry clinic in Latvia. She received comprehensive, developmentally tailored
care across inpatient, day treatment, and outpatient settings. The multidisciplinary
team included child psychiatry, pediatrics, gastroenterology, endocrinology,
gynecology, cardiology, clinical psychology, dietitian, physiotherapy, art therapies,
nursing, and social work. Evidence-based approaches included family-based
treatment, individual and group psychotherapy and nutritional rehabilitation.
Results: Initially, the patient exhibited marked cognitive rigidity, significant
body image distortion, obsessive control, limited insight and affect blunting,
with low initial motivation and persistent ambivalence. Food intake was severely
restricted and driven by rigid beliefs about body shape and caloric control.
Somatic complications included primary amenorrhea and a BMI of 15.5 kg/m². A
major relapse in 2024 led to critical weight loss (BMI 11.1 kg/m²) and hypoglycemic
collapse, requiring enteral feeding and medical stabilization. Through sustained
multidisciplinary intervention, the patient achieved partial remission: weight
restoration (BMI 18.7 kg/m²), resumption of psychosocial functioning, and
increased emotional awareness. Anxiety and mood symptoms improved (GAD-7
from 15 to 0 and PHQ-9 from 6 to 1). Residual challenges included amenorrhea,
osteopenia, and emotional suppression.
Conclusions: Over the period of 2020 to 2025 the multidisciplinary treatment
in managing chronic adolescent AN demonstrated considerable clinical and
functional patient’s recovery, despite initial resistance and multiple comorbidities.
| Period | 12 Sept 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | ECED2025: The European Council on Eating Disorders (ECED) |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | BudapestShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |