The effectiveness of family-based treatment and pharmacotherapy in an adolescent with anorexia nervosa and intellectual disability: a case report

This study aims to report the effectiveness of family based treatment and pharmacotherapy on an adolescent boy with anorexia nervosa and intellectual disability.

The authors reported the case of a 16-year-old boy with AN and ID and referred him to a family therapist and psychiatrist in Tehran.

The patient experienced fatigue, weakness, dissatisfaction, suicidal thoughts and self-harm signs over the past one year. He also had behaviors such as abstinence from eating and voluntary vomiting. He was diagnosed with AN and MDD.

The results suggest that these interventions can be effective but should be used with special consideration. Combining family therapy and pharmacotherapy might offer a chance to alleviate anorexia symptoms in people with ID.