Outcome of the association between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and anorexia nervosa: a 2-year prospective cohort study

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive manifestations have been recognized in anorexia, since the disorder’s earliest descriptions. Persistent thoughts about thinness can be considered ‘obsessions’ and excessive exercise and calorie counting have similarities to ‘compulsions’. It is estimated that up to 69% of anorexic patients manifest some degree of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Although anorexia nervosa is one of the most severe chronic mental illnesses and it has been hypothesized that its relationship with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology has a negative effect on the anorexic individuals, there is little data about the outcome of this association, especially in Spain Aim. Determine whether the outcome of the association of anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology is worse than the outcome of anorexia nervosa without said comorbidity, using the Morgan & Russell Outcome Assessment Schedule to categorize the prognosis in “good” or “poor” Methods. This study will be a longitudinal, prospective cohort study, which will include sixty-seven patients with anorexia nervosa, from those incorporated in “Programa Específic de Trastorns de Conducta Alimentària de Girona”, using a consecutive sequential sampling. These patients will be followed for 2 years, after being assigned two separate groups, according to their scores in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (≥16 o <16) (independent variable). Anorexia Nervosa’s prognosis will be the dependent variable, measured with the Morgan and Russell Assessment Outcome Schedule, at the 6, 12, 18 and 24 months mark. Frequencies, percentages, Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression analysis will be performed to analyze and describe the results of the study