Other conditions that can occur with anorexia nervosa
It is not clear whether other mental health disorders occur before or as a result of anorexia nervosa. Treatment can be difficult when a person has anorexia along with other mental health disorders. Some of the most common mental health disorders that can be present along with anorexia include:
- Depression, which occurs in up to 50% of people who have anorexia.1
- Irrational fears (phobias), including social anxiety disorder.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, marked by a drive for perfectionism, orderliness, and control.
- Panic disorder or panic attacks.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Substance abuse, which can increase the risk of death in those who also have anorexia.2
- Body dysmorphic disorder, which is an imagined belief that there is a defect in your body or your physical appearance even though none exists, such as seeing yourself as fat when you are thin.
| Author: | Jeannette Curtis Douglas Dana | Last Updated: November 16, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine W. Stewart Agras, MD - Psychiatry Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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