Hospital Care for Anorexia Nervosa
Author: Groshan Fabiola

Family and caretakers of patients with Nervous Anorexia must always consider hospitalization as the most benefic way to save them from starving themselves. Although the patients will try to avoid hospitalization and look for other treatment options, we must not forget these options have frequently been tried before without any success.

As a patient in a psychiatric unit for persons with nervous eating problems, they will have an exact meal schedule and a certain weight target they must reach. For all progresses such as eating regulate meals without purging afterwards the patients will be rewarded. After completing the rehabilitation as an inpatient, Anorexia sufferers will be taught how to continue the treatment at home, also sustained by group therapy or even a support group. Without a proper care inside the hospital and then at home, the patient's progress tends to be much slower as these types of persons seem to have neither personal will nor strength to fight their disorder.

Patients will need to be supervised a few hours after every meal in order to prevent them from throwing up. The daily weight must be carefully monitored as well as the intake of fluids. The daily calorie value in the beginning of the cure must vary around about 1500-2000 and will increase progressively when the patient begins to eat and act properly. The daily number of meals for anorexics should be about six; regular meals can be substituted by intra venous nutrition or liquid food in case of patients with severe anorexia symptoms.

In hospital care, the doctors and caretakers must be careful not to overly insist on the importance of gaining weight, as the weight problem is only a physical symptom of the more complex eating disorder. Correcting the poor image of themselves and the low self-esteem are the primer major steps in confronting the nervous eating difficulties. Weight gain must be used only as a real objective in the main target which is correcting the psychological problem.

There are some additional therapy methods like certain medication that can be extremely helpful in decreasing the disease's symptoms. The intake of the medication in patients at the begin of the therapy must be carefully monitored as the vomiting may interfere and diminish the effect of the chemo. To avoid such problems, a relation of reciprocal trust must be established between patient and physician; the absence of honesty and trust will negatively influence the final results.

Obsessions, anxiety and agitation can all be managed and controlled by the intake of chlorpromazine. Also the recovery process will be fastened by antidepressants. Support groups are always necessary to sustain the will of the patient of getting better and prevent reoccurrence. Although very important, this therapy method is often overlooked by physicians.


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