A CLINICAL AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF 185 SPANISH ADOLESCENTS WITHANOREXIA-NERVOSA

The objectives of the present study were the following: to determine t he socio-familial, academic and interpersonal characteristics space to anorexia nervosa (AN); to study comorbidity in patients with anorexia and morbidity in their parents; and to ascertain whether patients wit h anorexia nervosa in Spain are similar to those in other countries. T he research team revised the clinical records of 185 Spanish adolescen ts with AN (aged 11-18 years). The results were compared with those ob tained from a group of 185 psychiatric patients without AN matched by sex, age, time of consultation and centre. No significant differences were found with regard to broken home, birth order or parent-patient c onflict. The parents of patients with anorexia have a higher standard of education and develop more affective disorders. When compared with other patients, the individuals with anorexia nervosa perform much bet ter academically but are more socially withdrawn. Males with anorexia nervosa perform worse academically than females and have more anxiety diagnoses. Patients with anorexia have a high comorbidity for affectiv e and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Sufferers from anorexia nervosa in Spain are clinically analogous to patients with anorexia in other c ountries. The two characteristics specific to these patients are a hig h standard of academic performance and an intense degree of social wit hdrawal, although there are certain factors common to other pathologie s relating to adolescence.