Cognitive deficits at young patients (children and adolescents) with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa) aren’t investigated sufficiently. Well known that the disease has different forms in children and teenagers and is accompanied by significant changes in cognitive activity. Joint clinical and psychological qualification of cognitive disorders, personality characteristics and quality of life of children and teenagers with eating disorders hadn’t done.

Diagnostic of cognitive deficits in children and teenagers with anorexia nervosa.

Clinical group (NAG) - 28 girls aged 8-16 years old (F50; F21). The patients were investigated in a hospital. Control group (CG) 18 girls of same age never attended by a doctor on mental disorders. Tests assessing cognitive processes: memory, attention, thinking.

We have found cognitive disorders in girls with anorexia nervosa. The obtained data specifies cognitive deficits in different higher mental functions. Memory: decrease in volume voluntary memory, immediate and delayed. differences between NAG and CG were statistically significant (p <0,01). Attention (reducing the rate and efficiency in the performance tests). Thinking: a structurally unstable decline the level of generalization and certain disorders thinking on the type of distortion of the synthesis and diversity - 0.05 level of significance of differences.

This study has identified the structure of cognitive impairments (memory, thinking, attention) in children and teenagers during the acute stage of the disease. General characteristics of cognitive impairment in anorexia nervosa in children reflects primarily acute condition, and only secondarily - projective, the specifics of the disease.