Comment:
350 NHS hospital beds are taken up every day by anorexia patients: some are just only 9 years old.
Some are saying that the NHS assessment methods for anorexia are turning patients away as they are not deemed to be “thin enough” for treatment.
This can be perceived by some patients to lose more weight as a cry for help and therefore creates more disordered eating behaviours.
Anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders patients were hospitalised within the last year for a total of 122,150 nights, up from 100,550 nights in the previous year 2011/2012.
Of the 2,381 eating disorder patients admitted to hospital last year, 75% were anorexia sufferers.
Unfortunately mortality among anorexia sufferers is very high (20%, mostly due to organ failure) and more casualties are being reported each year.
Eating disorders are treated as mental health issues which means they are not currently put on a priority list. Therefore anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorder patients have to wait between 6 months to a year to receive treatment.
Here at Weightmatters we provide a confidential and supportive out-patient clinic service for people with eating disorders: please email us at info@weightmatters.co.uk for more information.
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