Interdisciplinary model for the inpatient treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa

This paper describes the inpatient phase of an anorexia nervosa treatment program in an adolescent unit of a children's hospital. This program focuses on four goals: improving eating behavior, improving socialization, achieving initial weight gain, and engaging the patient and her family with an outpatient psychotherapist. The patients were divided into three groups according to severity. All five Group I patients (less than 25% body weight loss) had a composite 100% achievement of the four goals. Twenty out of 21 Group II patients (greater than 25% body weight loss) had 100% achievement of the four goals. Three out of six Group III patients (greater than 25% body weight loss and requiring hyperalimentation) had 100% achievement of the four goals. The success of this inpatient program is felt to be due to the pediatric-psychiatric collaboration, the involvement of the family during the inpatient phase, the therapeutic use of an interdisciplinary team and of the social system of the inpatient unit including other patients and recreation therapist.