A Clinical Case Of a Patient With Anorexia Nervosa And Bizarre Behavior

Abstract

Eating disorders (EDs) are mental illnesses, defined by abnormal eating habits. EDs are chronic, severe and difficult to treat, and cause psychological, social and physical consequences. It occurs predominantly in adolescents and young adults women (around 90%), causing severely disability, major biopsychosocial losses, and high morbidity and mortality. EDs are considered by WHO as a public health problem, affecting different ages, genres, times, regions and contexts.

Objective

Case report of a patient with Anorexia Nervosa and bizarre behavior.

Methods

Clinical observation in hospital.

Results

Woman with 43 years old, with a peace of 65 years, who was hospitalized in Psychiatric Service – Eating Disorders, in August 2015, because of its extreme thinness, with difficulty to walk and with severe edema of the feet, ankles and legs. At the entrance, she weighed 29 kg, after 4 days her weight reduced to 23 kg, reaching a BMI of 8.5 kg/m². In the first week, she showed a high cognitive impairment, confusional state and detailed and ruminative speech about food. She had developed multiple techniques to hide food and to hide and take dietary supplements for weight loss. Furthermore, she had a bizarre behavior and marked social isolation, not interacting with other patients.

Conclusion

Although the low prevalence of EDs, these have a high morbidity, and are one of the psychiatric disorders that most often leads to a fatal outcome. Treatment is lengthy and cumbersome, requiring serious investments under the personal point of view, family and clinical, yet still, these patients can have a full life and quality.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.