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Differential diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder in a male military veteran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2015

Andrew Kiselica
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
Renee Brown Hangartner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
Adam B. Lewin*
Affiliation:
Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: A. B. Lewin, Ph.D, ABPP, 880 6th Street South Suite 460, Box 7523, Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry, USF Pediatrics, St Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (email: [email protected]).

Abstract

Research on the relationship between military service and eating pathology has yielded mixed findings. Among those of military backgrounds, anorexia nervosa typically presents with co-occurring disorders that complicate diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this paper is to present a case report of a retired Navy midshipman. The patient sought treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but his assessment revealed the primary pathology to be anorexia nervosa. This case illustrates ways in which military life may contribute to eating pathology and the complex overlap and differential diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and OCD.

Type
Practice article
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2015 

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References

Recommended follow-up reading

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