Personal Recovery of Young Adults With Severe Anorexia Nervosa During Adolescence: a Pilot Qualitative Study

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is one of the most severe mental disorders with a mortality and high risk of developing chronicity. Lifetime prevalence is evaluated among women between 1.2% and 2.2%, with the higher incidence during adolescence. Recovery process remains poorly understood.

In scientific literature, recovery process of mental disorders can be seen in two different ways: the medical and the personal recovery (PR). The medical recovery is based on objective criteria, including cure (symptom disappearance), remission (symptom suspension) or therapeutic response (change of values after treatment). This medical recovery is generally studied in quantitative outcome studies. The experiential or PR is based on first person qualitative research or consensus methods, starting from patients' struggle for regaining place in their own recovery. It has become the paradigm orientation of mental health policy in anglophone countries.

A recent systematic review summeries relapse, remission or recovery criteria used in a AN outcome studies in 1-weigh measurement only; 2-symptoms reported only; 3-on both. In addition to weigh, other criteria are noticed: menstruations, psychological and behavioral features, disparities of time remission/recovery.

However, despite numerous quantitative studies, reasons for recovery, relapse or following struggle steal unclear. Medical framework is sometimes considered as reductive Moreover, those researches usually focus on risk factors, hiding protector's factors that are central for supporting recovery. Furthermore, symptom improvement is not always priority of patients(9), while improvement might happen despite symptoms persistence. Discrepancies are described in the negotiated link clinicians-patients: patient might wait for more singular and subjective approach whereas clinicians would be more invested in objective and rigorous features.

A recent systematic review offers a theorical framework to study PR in mental disorders. It is defines as an active, individual, unique, non-linearn, multidimensional and gradual process. It can be described as phase or stage, as struggle, as a life-changing experience or even as a trial or error process. It may be structured by a turning point, after when there are no turning back. It is aided by supporting and healing environment, and might occur without cure. Starting from first person narratives of mental disorders recovery, five factors supporting recovery are described: connectedness, hope and optimism about the future, identity, meaning in life, empowerment. One meta-ethnography review was published on qualitative research about PR in AN, concerning 8 studies. It provides elements on process of change, factors supporting PR and notion of empowerment and self-reconciliation.