Schwere Anorexia nervosa

Background

Psychosomatic support during acute medical treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa is a special need but up to now a rare constellation. These patients can barely accept necessary somatic procedures even if they suffer from severe consequences of the eating disorder. The ambivalence of patients towards treatment is explained by the loss of the right perception of their bodies and the strong obsession with further weight loss.

Methods

This article reports on eight consecutively treated patients on a medical ward who received a liaison psychosomatic, psychotherapeutic visit twice a week. The aim was to maintain better therapy adherence, to support oral food intake and understanding of the disorder as well as to motivate patients for further psychosomatic treatment.

Results

By means of a respectful cooperation between the departments of internal medicine and psychosomatics it was possible to gain psychotherapeutic access to the patients in this highly complicated situation.

Consequence

The psychodynamic aspects of this collaboration are discussed with a focus on the triangulation of the therapeutic process.