Prevention of anorexia nervosa: What should the medical profession consider?

The author has both clinical and research experience on anorexia nervosa (e.g., Chan, 2003; Chan and Ma, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c, 2004a, 2004b, 2005a, 2005b) resulting from reflection on patients' stories and struggles, from which some preventive measures can be derived-useful not only for future treatment, but also for creating preventive programs. In particular, this chapter suggests that the medical profession should consider and participate in the prevention of anorexia nervosa. As is well-known, much physical and psychological distress results from long-term self-starvation. More seriously, follow-up visits show that a large proportion of the patients suffer from other psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders, affective disorders, substance abuse disorders, obsessivecompulsive disorder, and unspecific disorders (Seinhausen, 2002).