Early Onset Anorexia Nervosa: Case Report

In this report, the authors present the case of a 10-year-old girl, who was observed at a child psychiatry clinic for food restriction and, refusal together with weight loss. The pa-tient presented all the typical features of adolescent Anorexia Nervosa. The psychiatric assessment showed depressive traits and the two main characteristics of the Anorexia Nervosa : abnormal cognition about weight and shape and preoccupation with weight and shape. Depression is frequent in subjects with early onset Anorexia Nervosa, whereas an abnormal cognition about weight and shape is very uncommon before 14 years of age. The case suggest that young girls might present forms of Anorexia Nervosa similar to the typical adolescent forms of this disorder.