Eating disorders and psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents: a descriptive-exploratory study in a specialized mental health service in Paraguay
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18004/mem.iics/1812-9528/2026.e24122608Keywords:
eating disorders, psychiatric comorbidity, adolescents, mental health, ParaguayAbstract
This observational, retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the clinical, epidemiological, and diagnostic profile of patients treated for eating disorders in a specialized mental health service in Paraguay between January 2022 and August 2025. The study included 134 adolescents aged 12–18 years, with a mean age of 15.28 years (SD = 1.96) and a predominance of females (91.8%). A diagnostic subcategory was not specified in 38.8% of records, and 37.3% recorded bulimia nervosa. At least one psychiatric comorbidity was recorded in 91.8% of patients. Overall, 44.8% were classified as new cases in the year. Most patients lacked insurance coverage (69.4%), and 82.8% of the selected records corresponded to follow-up visits. These findings describe a clinical sample with frequent comorbidity and support the importance of comprehensive assessment. The annual distribution, which includes only January–August 2025, cannot be used to estimate population incidence.
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References
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Published
Data Availability Statement
The datasets analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author, Dr. Iván Barrios, upon request. Email: jbarrios@fcmuna.edu.py.
