Abstract
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are two mental health conditions sharing a series of clinical features. Epidemiological studies have documented that subjects with AN may present ASD and ASD traits more frequently than the general population. Specific studies have discussed the use of psychodiagnostics tools to investigate ASD traits in individuals with AN. Recent research has reported common neuropsychological (i.e., deficits in “Theory of Mind”) and psychopathological (i.e., alexithymia) traits between the two conditions. Finally, ASD traits may impact the interventions to treat AN. This chapter examines the recent literature reporting on the link between AN and ASD, and discusses the implications of this link for the development of new screening and treatment protocols.
Abbreviations
- 3di-sv:
-
3-developmental dimensional and diagnostic interview short version
- AdAS:
-
Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum
- ADHD:
-
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- ADOS-2:
-
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2nd Edition
- AN:
-
Anorexia Nervosa
- AQ:
-
Autism Spectrum Quotient
- ARFID:
-
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
- ASD:
-
Autism Spectrum Disorder
- BMI:
-
Body Mass Index
- CDC:
-
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- DSM-5:
-
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition
- ED:
-
Eating Disorders
- IQ:
-
Intelligence Quotient
- NDD:
-
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- OCD:
-
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
- RRB:
-
Restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests
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Parmeggiani, A., Pruccoli, J. (2022). Anorexia Nervosa and Comorbidities. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Eating Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_36-1
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