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One Hundred Referrals to an Eating Disorders Service: Progress and Service Consumption Over a 2–4 Year Period
Author(s) -
Button Eric J.,
Marshall Pamela,
Shinkwin Rosemary,
Black Susanna H.,
Palmer Robert L.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0968(199703)5:1<47::aid-erv168>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - eating disorders , service (business) , consumption (sociology) , period (music) , psychiatry , medicine , psychology , gerontology , business , marketing , sociology , social science , physics , acoustics
The progress and service consumption of a cohort of 100 referrals to an Eating Disorders Service over a 2–4 year period are examined. The median duration of contact was 9 months, but there was wide variation in service consumption. About half of all patients eventually dropped out of contact, including one‐third who did not engage in treatment, but at the other extreme 7 per cent were still in contact after 4 years. Amongst those we succeeded in following up, three‐quarters of patients felt subjectively improved and there was a reduction from 62 per cent to 33 per cent in those meeting criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Approximately two‐thirds of those with anorexia nervosa and half of those with bulimia nervosa no longer met criteria for the full syndromes. The implications of the findings for those running or planning to run specialist eating disorders services are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and Eating Disorders Association.