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Use of leucotomy for intractable anorexia nervosa: A long‐term follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Morgan John F.,
Crisp Arthur H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(200004)27:3<249::aid-eat1>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , anxiety , psychology , panic , psychopathology , depression (economics) , psychotherapist , eating disorders , psychiatry , weight gain , quality of life (healthcare) , clinical psychology , body weight , medicine , economics , macroeconomics
Objective We studied the long‐term outcomes of intractable anorexia nervosa treated with leukotomy and specialized psychotherapy over 20 years ago. Method All traceable subjects were interviewed using the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID). They also completed questionnaires. Detailed histories were taken. Results Four of five female subjects were traced. Their cases had been severe, with failure of previous intensive psychotherapy and now with high risk of death from terminal inanition. One patient had committed suicide, whereas the others enjoyed a reasonable quality of life. Persistent core psychopathology was evident, but patients had not succumbed to weight loss. All suffered depression and anxiety‐related disorders, but endorsed their treatment, which had allowed sustained weight gain by release of appetitive behavior, provision of a license to change, and alleviation of phobic anxiety, allowing psychotherapeutic engagement. Discussion We argue that these outcomes are relatively favorable and would not have been possible without this latter engagement in specialist psychotherapy to address burgeoning panic at unavoidable weight gain. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 27: 249–258, 2000.