Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152:1070-1072
Copyright © 1995 by American Psychiatric Association
Low discharge weight and outcome in anorexia nervosa
SA Baran, TE Weltzin and WH Kaye
Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA.
OBJECTIVE: Because recent limitations in health care coverage have resulted
in shorter lengths of inpatient stay, many patients with anorexia nervosa
are discharged while still underweight. The authors' goal was to determine
whether anorectic patients who were underweight when they were discharged
had a worse outcome and a higher rate of rehospitalization than those who
had achieved normal weight at discharge. METHOD: They assessed weight and
height, eating disorder symptoms, and severity of depressive and anxiety
symptoms in 22 women with anorexia nervosa at hospital admission and at
follow-up a mean of 29 months after discharge. RESULTS: Anorectic patients
who were discharged while severely underweight reported significantly
higher rates of rehospitalization and endorsed more symptoms than those who
had achieved normal weight before discharge. CONCLUSIONS: These data
suggest that brief hospitalization for severely underweight women with
anorexia may not be cost effective because the majority are rehospitalized.
