Inpatient Care for Eating Disorders in Adults, Adolescents, and Children

In this chapter, we review the form and content of inpatient treatment for eating disorders which for the most part is for anorexia nervosa (AN). However, there is wide cultural, geographical, and temporal diversity into the questions of for whom, when, what, and for how long. For the most part, admission is used to manage medical risk primarily by supporting eating, although suicidal symptoms are also an issue. Research into this area is limited but wherever possible we cite systematic reviews. Much of the limited available evidence comes from specialized centers linked to academic departments and may not represent practice as a whole. Recent developments include research into the optimal rate of refeeding and into psychological interventions that may support eating. Also there has been research into components of the care pathway such as the key admission and discharge parameters of inpatient care and community aftercare. Managing the gaps between hospital and home and other parts of the service needs further work. Many questions and uncertainties remain.