Eating Disorders: Causes and Treatment Options

Question

Accepted Answer

A 20-year-old female patient with a body mass index of 16. Complains of epigastric pain and a feeling of stomach fullness with minimal meals, spontaneous belching or vomiting, lack of menstruation, insomnia, increased anxiety in connection with thoughts about proper nutrition and the diets used.

Problem statement

Can a mental state be associated with physiological discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract?
Ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts about proper nutrition.

Selected Format

Video consultation

Outcome

The patient was consulted by a senior physician of the German Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. A detailed history was taken to identify the causes of the disorder. After analyzing the collected information and assessing the mental state of the patient, the doctor gave a conclusion about the causes of the disease and its stage. Eating disorders and anxiety were caused by a complex of psychosocial factors. The patient attached great importance to socially accepted standards of appearance and was traumatized by the inadequate reaction in the family to the first signs of her disorder.
The psychotherapist determined the stage of the disease as not suicidal, but requiring treatment. Physiological manifestations of eating disorders (low weight, dry hair, cyanosis of the extremities, amenorrhea) are indications for antidepressant therapy in combination with psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Inpatient treatment in a specialized clinic for patients with psychosomatic malnutrition was recommended.
A consultation was held with the patient's mother, recommendations were made on establishing a trusting relationship with her daughter. In the future, at the initiative of the mother, the doctor repeatedly consulted her by phone.

Medconsonline Comment

The video consultation was the first visit to a psychiatrist, as the patient refused to seek medical help for a long time and did not recognize her condition as a diseasel. The doctor managed to convince the patient of the necessity and effectiveness of therapy.

Consulting expert

Valentin Agadzhanov

Dr. med., Head of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department, MVZ INTERMED, Dusseldorf