Background: Sexual abuse may be a risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa. No information is available on sexual abuse through the Internet and its connection to the development of eating disorders.
Method: We report on a case of an adolescent female with the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, whose symptomatology correlated significantly with an incident of sexual harassment experienced via the Internet.
Results: A case of on-line harassment suffered without off-line follow-up is reported to have led to a restrictive type of anorexia nervosa, where the symptomatology was connected to a "computer scatology" like persecution of our patient.
Discussion: A causal connection of the on-line sexual harassment suffered and development of eating disorder is reported.
Copyright 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.