Pharmacological Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa: A Retrospective Study in Preadolescents and Adolescents
Giorgio Rossi, MD*,
Umberto Balottin,
Maura Rossi,
Matteo Chiappedi,
Elisa Fazzi,
and
Giovanni Lanzi
University of Pavia
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: giorossi{at}unipv.it.
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Abstract |
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To date, studies addressing the role of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of anorexia nervosa are limited, especially in childhood and adolescence. The aim of this retrospective naturalistic study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy in 19 anorexic preadolescents and adolescents referred, for the first time, to a specialist psychiatry unit. Almost all the patients showed an improvement both in their eating behaviors, and in their mood and obsessive symptoms.No evidence was found of dangerous adverse events. Combined with a multidisciplinary approach that includes nutritional rehabilitation and psychotherapy, adjunctive pharmacotherapy may be useful in addressing both eating disorder psychopathology and comorbid psychiatric disorders.
