Hospital treatment of anorexia nervosa: A 25 year retrospective study form 1958 to 1982
✍ Scribed by George, David T. ;Weiss, Sandra R. ;Gwirtsman, Harry E. ;Blazer, Dan
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 474 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0276-3478
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
In order to characterize changes in the presenting symptomatology and treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN), the hospital charts of 76 anorexia nervosa patients were reviewed from three time periods: (1) 1958-1962, (11) f968-f972, and (111) f978-1982. In period I, 92 % of the patients were admitted to a medicine service, whereas in period 111, 92% were admitted to psychiatry. Age of onset, percent mean weight for height upon admission, and reported frequencies of laxative use and vomiting showed no statistical differences among the periods. Length of hospital stay and weight gained during hospitalization increased significantly during period 111, with similar stays occurring for both vomiters and restrictors. Between periods I and 111 the number of medical diagnostic studies decreased while the frequency of behavioral therapies and use of antidepressant medication increased. During the past 25 years, theories of etiology and approaches to treatment of anorexia nervosa have become increasingly psychiatric. We postdate that the apparent increasing incidence of AN may partially be attributable to an underdiagnosis of AN by medical services in the past.
David 1. George, MD., is a d i c a l staff fellow and Sandra R. Webr, BS., is a psychologist