Olanzapine in children and adolescents with chronic anorexia nervosa. A study of five cases

Psychopathology in severely anorexic patients often seems to be of compulsi ve and delusional quality rendering therapeutic approaches extremely diffic ult. With conventional therapeutic regimes failing, administration of the n ovel antipsychotic olanzapine induced remarkable improvement in five cases reported here. Paranoid ideation concerning body image or weight gain decre ased and sedative effects helped to reduce inner tensions and phobia with r espect to food intake. Olanzapine, therefore, might represent an important therapeutic tool in anorexic patients who present the following characteris tics: long-term history of anorexia nervosa mostly with several hospitalisa tions, missing perception of their severe state of illness, refusal of ther apy, delusional quality of anorexic thinking, risk of discontinuation of th erapy with life-threatening consequences.