Eating Disorders: Patient Perception of Hospitalization

A recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry probed perceptions of the admissions process among patients admitted for eating disorders. 139 patients completed a self-report scale both on admission and again 2 weeks later. The researchers found that patients with anorexia “reported higher levels of perceived coercion… and a lower sense of procedural justice” than patients with bulimia. While 46 patients originally believed they did not need hospitalization, 20 of these had reversed their stance on the matter at the 2-week followup. The authors of the study concluded that longitudinal studies on treatment outcome in patients with eating disorders coerced into hospitalization were needed. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/1/108

-PC