Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T19:24:36.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How Common is Anorexia Nervosa? A Prevalence Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

A. H. Crisp ,
R. L. Palmer  and
R. S. Kalucy
A. H. Crisp
Affiliation:
Academic Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, S.W.17
R. L. Palmer
Affiliation:
Academic Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, S.W.17; Academic Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Leicester
R. S. Kalucy
Affiliation:
Academic Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, S.W.17
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

During 1972–74 nine populations of schoolgirls were surveyed in respect of the occurrence of anorexia nervosa. As well as the current school year, previous years (going back variously 3–6 years) were also carefully studied within seven of the schools. Anorexia nervosa was only identified as present or having been present if the diagnosis was unequivocal: for instance, seemingly evident and severe cases which could not be traced were excluded. The condition in severe form was found to be relatively common in the independent sector of education, probably implying a social class factor. In all such schools, the prevalence was one severe case in approximately every 200 girls. In those aged 16 and over it amounted to one severe case in about every 100 girls. Overall, these schools encountered one ‘new’ severe case in every 250 pupils aged 16 years and over. The condition is likely to be even more common than this study allows because of the stringent limits set here on inclusion of cases and the age-band studied. It is concluded that severe anorexia nervosa is a common condition and is probably getting more common.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 128 , Issue 6 , June 1976 , pp. 549 - 554
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Classification of Occupations (1960) General Register Office. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. (1965) Some aspects of the evolution, presentation and follow-up of anorexia nervosa. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 58, 814–20.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. (1967) Anorexia nervosa. Hosp. Med., May, 713–18.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. (1970) Anorexia nervosa: ‘feeding disorder’, ‘nervous malnutrition’ or ‘weight phobia’. World Reo. Nutr. & Diet., 12, 452–504.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. & Stonehill, E. (1971) Relationship between aspects of nutritional disturbance and menstrual activity in primary anorexia nervosa. Brit. med. J., iii, 149–51.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. & Toms, D. A. (1972) Primary anorexia nervosa or weight phobia in the male. Report on 13 cases. Brit. med. J., i, 334–8.Google Scholar
Dally, P. (1969) Anorexia Nervosa. London: William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd.Google Scholar
Hueneman, R. L. et al (1966) A longitudinal study of gross body composition and body conformation and their association with food and activity in a teenage population. Amer. J. clin. Nutr., 18, 325–38.Google Scholar
Kendell, R. E. et al (1973) The epidemiology of anorexia nervosa. Psychol. Med., 3, No. 2, 200–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nylander, I. (1971) The feeling of being fat and dieting in a school population. Acta sociomed. Scand., 3, 17–26.Google Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1967) The nutritional disorder in anorexia nervosa. J. psychosom. Res., 11, 141–9.Google Scholar
Silverstone, J. T. (1968) Psychosocial aspects of obesity. Proc. Roy. Sac. Med., 61, 371–5.Google Scholar
Theander, S. (1970) Anorexia nervosa. A psychiatric investigation of 94 female patients. Acta psychiat. Scand., Suppl 214.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.