OBJECTIVE: To review prevalence, ethiopathogenesis, nutritional aspects, diagnostic and treatment in patients with MR and anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: A literature review was carried out in Medline, SciELO and PubMed using the key words "eating disorders", "anorexia nervosa" and "mental retardation". RESULTS: Anorexia nervosa may have an atypical presentation in patients with MR, and therefore requires specific diagnostic criteria. It is currently used the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for Use with Adults with Learning Disabilities/Mental Retardation (DC-LC). There are no recommendations on treatment either but the care team requires specific training. Eating is usually "poor" and fattening foods are often avoided. It is most often difficult to access the complex psychopathology of AN in these patients due to difficulty obtaining an account of dissatisfaction and/or distorted body image, low self-esteem, and food beliefs. CONCLUSION: There is a need for further studies investigating AN in patients with RM, especially because there are no validated diagnostic criteria and guidelines for treatment. In addition, the discussion on how to approach these patients as well as on the conceptualization and treatment of body image disorders in this population should be stimulated.
Mental retardation; anorexia nervosa; adults
