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Anorexia nervosa following sexual harassment on the internet: A case report
Author(s) -
Gáti Ágnes,
Tényi Tamás,
Túry Ferenc,
Wildmann Márta
Publication year - 2002
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/eat.10029
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , harassment , psychology , sexual abuse , eating disorders , psychiatry , clinical psychology , poison control , injury prevention , medicine , social psychology , medical emergency
Background Sexual abuse may be a risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa. No information is available on sexual abuse through the Internet and its connection to the development of eating disorders. Method We report on a case of an adolescent female with the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, whose symptomatology correlated significantly with an incident of sexual harassment experienced via the Internet. Results A case of on‐line harassment suffered without off‐line follow‐up is reported to have led to a restrictive type of anorexia nervosa, where the symptomatology was connected to a “computer scatology” like persecution of our patient. Discussion A causal connection of the on‐line sexual harassment suffered and development of eating disorder is reported. © 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 31: 474–477, 2002.