Profile of 145 Pre-Teen Inpatients with Eating Disorders

To present a profile of pre-teen eating disorder (ED) inpatients. Sample includes 145 inpatients treated at ages 1 co-occurring Axis I disorder, with 82% having > 1 depression diagnosis, mostly depressive disorder not otherwise specified, and 77% having > 1 anxiety disorder, mostly anxiety disorder not otherwise specified. Psychological testing underscored the relatively low severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. No patients were diagnosed with substance or alcohol use, and testing revealed minimal externalizing behavior. Patients had a mean of 3.5 Axis III diagnoses, with only two patients having decreased bone mineral density for chronological age. ED symptoms, including psychiatric and medical comorbidities, may differ substantially between ED pre-teens and the more fully researched population of adolescents with EDs.