An Association Between Anorexia Nervosa and Schizophrenia: A Case Report

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness marked by an inability to maintain a normal healthy body weight. The prevalence of AN comorbid with other psychiatric disorders has been reported to be quite high. Whereas depression and anxiety disorders are the most common comorbid diagnoses in anorexic patients, the dual-diagnosis of anorexia and schizophrenia is a relatively rare condition and is currently understudied. Based on the observations from single case reports or case series, several explanations have been made about the co-occurrence of anorexia and schizophrenia. Here, we present the case of a female patient who developed schizophrenia during an anorexic period, which then progressed to a pattern of disordered eating and body image. This case is rare because the patient had a comorbid diagnosis of AN and schizophrenia. To the best of our knowledge, there are only a few previous case reports in the literature describing an anorexic patient with comorbid schizophrenia. In this case report, the diagnosis of AN is addressed, the definition and significance of similar cases are discussed, and the comorbidity of AN and schizophrenia are reviewed.