Admissions to hospital are never ideal. One of the most common symptoms of struggling with an eating disorder, primarily anorexia nervosa, is the physical deterioration of health which creates a risk. When a sufferer is a low body weight, the body's way. It's way of communicating it's struggling are bloods being abnormal, low blood pressure and low heart rate, low oxygen levels, abnormal ECGs, and weight loss. These are shown through cold hands, poor circulation, dry skin, discolouration of skin, among other things. All symptoms created by low nutritional intake. When these risks threaten a person’s safety, hospitals are considered.
General hospitals are used primarily to monitor and restore physical health.
They're typically used in eating disorder treatment when the sufferer is no longer safe and thriving within their home environment and require 24-hour monitoring. General hospital admissions for anorexia nervosa can vary in length and depending on the mental health service the individual is receiving support from, will depend on the plan following discharge. Typically, admissions are required to ensure anorexia isn't damaging the body and its functions. Common functions including, stable blood pressure and heart rate, stable blood results, normal heart rhythms, oxygen levels etc all caused by weight loss. It is important to remember that everybody's body responds different to the effects of starvation. Therefore, you don't have to be underweighted to be physically compromised. General hospital admissions are never permanent, their role is to help restore physical health, can be useful in implementing a normal eating pattern as well as helping reintroduce food safely so that no harm is posed to the individual. They are typically used by mental health services once the body is recognised to be struggling and requires treatment which is only accessible within a hospital setting, such as refeeding syndrome and vitamins which can only be given through a drip.
Inpatient admission’s primary role is to help individuals suffering from mental health difficulties. They can also eh referred to as mental health hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and some will call them special hospitals. They differ from general hospitals as they offer both physical and psychological interventions and therapies to help assist the individual overcome their struggles. Inpatient is a residential hospital and means the individual will be receiving 24 hours care away from home. They will be used when community care is no longer appropriate, and a more intense level of support is required. Inpatient wards differ in tiers, meaning depending on the level of severity of the illness, depends on the level of security of the unit. Inpatients offer therapies, the input from professional, therapeutic approaches, prescriptions, and daily monitoring of medication, as well as other practices that can be carried out by nurses and clinicians. The inpatient facility provides care plans, discharge dates upon admission, as well as weekly ward rounds and monthly CPA (care programme approach) to review the standard and level of care and progress. Inpatient referrals and admissions are always a last resort for a community team. Units can be both general mental health wards which accommodate for a range of difficulties or can be specialised for eating disorders which will provide a more patient cantered approach.
The nature of eating disorders is very competitive. Anorexia will often make its victims strive to be the smallest in the room, look poorly, and be visibility underweight and undernourished. This can often make treatment away from home such as hospital admissions and inpatient admissions very difficult as it will force the individual to give up control and follow a meal plan. Following this, failure to do so may result in more forceful approaches such as NG tubes, sections, and restraints. In almost all cases of anorexia treatment, meal plans will be used. They prescribe individuals will the adequate nutrition that they require to ensure a full physical recovery. This should be implemented alongside psychological interventions such as therapy to challenge anorexic cognitions and nurse your brain back to a more normal way of thinking. This will not be done in a general hospital; it will occur within a therapeutic setting such as inpatient. This being done within a hospital environment as opposed to a community setting presents issues. It will mean the individual is forced into an environment with others who share the same difficulties. Meaning there is competition on who can eat the least, on who looks the most underweight as well as who can be physically active the most. Every individuals’ treatment for their eating disorder will be different, meaning what works for one may not work for another.
Anorexia will tell its victims that they must physically deteriorate and see visible changes in their appearance to obtain the happiness that they look for. It will want them to become the most weak and ill version of themselves. There is a belief that to be truly poorly with anorexia you must be underweight, be NG tube fed, be on a section and ultimately not comply with treatment. These features of treatment are believed to be things to bring validation for anorexia patients. But it is a lie! Anorexia will never ever be happy with your bid to lose weight and change your appearance. There will never be a right time to get better or deserve to get better! Anorexia won't stop bullying you until you stand up to it and challenge it. Validation doesn't come at any point during the process of an eating disorder. Stop waiting for something that anorexia promises you once you reach "x" weight. It will never arrive; anorexia will just change the goal post. The final goal post will be death. That's when it will stop if you don't challenge it now. You’re struggling with a serious mental health illness, your valid enough! Stop searching for validation that you seek from a liar. Anorexia is a deceitful liar
“There is a belief that to be truly poorly with anorexia you must be underweight, be NG tube fed, be on a section and ultimately not comply with treatment. These features of treatment are believed to be things to bring validation for anorexia patients. But it is a lie! Anorexia will never ever be happy with your bid to lose weight and change your appearance. There will never be a right time to get better or deserve to get better! Anorexia won't stop bullying you until you stand up to it and challenge it. Validation doesn't come at any point during the process of an eating disorder. Stop waiting for something that anorexia promises you once you reach "x" weight. It will never arrive; anorexia will just change the goal post. The final goal post will be death. That's when it will stop if you don't challenge it now. You’re struggling with a serious mental health illness, you’re valid enough!”