The effectiveness of family-based treatment and pharmacotherapy in an adolescent with anorexia nervosa and intellectual disability: a case report
| Date | 18 June 2024 |
| Pages | 141-148 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-10-2023-0037 |
| Published date | 18 June 2024 |
| Author | Mehri Moradi,Razieh Salehian,Bonnie Bozorg,Mina Bozorg |
The effectiveness of family-based
treatment and pharmacotherapy in an
adolescent with anorexia nervosa and
intellectual disability: a case report
Mehri Moradi, Razieh Salehian, Bonnie Bozorg and Mina Bozorg
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to report the effectiveness of family based treatment and pharmacotherapy
on an adolescentboy with anorexia nervosa and intellectualdisability.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors reported the caseof a16-year-old boy with AN and ID
and referredhim to a family therapist and psychiatristin Tehran.
Findings –The patient experiencedfatigue, weakness, dissatisfaction, suicidalthoughts and self-harm
signs over the past oneyear. He also had behaviors such as abstinence from eating and voluntary
vomiting.He was diagnosed with AN and MDD.
Originality/value –The resultssuggest that these interventions canbe effective but should be used with
special consideration.Combining family therapy and pharmacotherapy mightoffer a chance to alleviate
anorexiasymptoms in people with ID.
Keywords Anorexia nervosa, Drug therapy, Family therapy, Intellectual disability
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Obesity and being overweight are among the most critical problems in people with intellectual
disabilities, and their prevalence is estimated between 8.5% and 36% in different countries
(Eden and Randle-Phillips, 2017). Obesity and being overweight can lead to many health
issues, including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and some cancers (Eden and Randle-
Phillips, 2017,Eibl et al., 2018,Nagle et al., 2018). In addition, obesity may cause psychological
problems such as decreased quality of life (Whitaker et al., 2018), depression and anxiety
disorders (Sharafi et al., 2019), unhealthy nutrition habit, and eating disorders such as binge
eating, anorexia nervosa, misuse of diuretic and laxative drugs, self-medication, extreme dieting
and intentional vomiting (Britz et al.,2000,Musaiger et al., 2013,Darby et al.,2009,Lebow et al.,
2015). Studies have indicated that overweight people are more vulnerable to destructive weight
management behaviors (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2002,Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2009). Anorexia
nervosa (AN) is a dangerous eating disorder where individuals have a distorted body image and
consider themselves obese despite being thin (Misquitta, 2001). The prevalence of this disease
in young and adult women is 0.9 and 0.3, respectively. This prevalence has not been well
studied in men, but some studies indicate that one man is diagnosed with the condition for every
10 to 12 women diagnosed with anorexia (Fisher et al., 2010).
AN mortality has been estimated to be between 0.71 and 17.8 (Birmingham et al.,2005).
Currently, the etiology of anorexia nervosais unclear. Different studies have identified some
(Informationabout the
authorscan be found at the
end of this article.)
Received 9 October 2023
Revised 13 April 2024
Accepted 10 May 2024
The authors of the article would
like to thank the patient and his
family who participated in the
study.
Conflict of interests: There is no
conflict of interest in this study.
Funding: This study did not
receive any financial support
from any organization.
Authors’contribution:
Mehri Moradi designed the
study, performed the family
therapy, analyzed data and
wrote the manuscript.
Bonnie Bozorg revised the
manuscript for important
intellectual content critically.
Razieh Salehian performed the
pharmacotherapy.
Mina Bozorg helped us in
revising the manuscript.
Ethical approval: This article is
a case report and because of
urgent in performed the
treatment taking an ethical
code was impossible. Taking
ethical approval in this type of
study is optional. Case reports
are not obliged to show “Ethical
Approval Code”. But it is
strongly recommended to
obtain written and signed
informed consent from patients/
guardians for publishing the
case report.
DOI 10.1108/AMHID-10-2023-0037 VOL. 18 NO. 42024, pp. 141-148, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282 jADVANCES IN MENTAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES jPAGE 141
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