Chronic anorexia nervosa: Patient characteristics and treatment approaches

Anorexia nervosa constitutes a major challenge to medical practitioners, especially clinicians, due to a high rate of chronicity and a very serious risk of relapse. One of the underlying causes of this state of affairs is the ego-syntonicity of the disorder, which differentiates it from similar conditions, and which is responsible for the patient's denial and lack of motivation for treatment (resulting in frequent instances of therapy refusal or drop-out). The paper outlines different approaches to defining chronic anorexia nervosa. This form of anorexia and its therapeutic implications are discussed through the lens of clinicians and other medical professionals. Furthermore, the patients' experiences of chronic anorexia nervosa are described. The dilemmas concerning palliative care for this group of patients are addressed and treatment options and relapse prevention strategies are recommended, with a focus on the latest developments in this respect. The paper is concluded with an optimistic report of complete recovery from this diagnosis, including an analysis of the factors underlying the positive therapeutic outcome.