Abstract
We have applied a new refeeding method to our inpatients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) , using only the liquid formula at the initial stage of treatment. Our purpose of the present study was to reveal favorable and aversive effects of the liquid formula on physical and psychological functions as compared with the regular meals. Ten anorexic inpatients, who were diagnosed according to the DSM-III-R, participated in our initial therapeutic programs : 5 of them taking liquid formula (LF group) at least 2 weeks after hospitalization, and the other 5 taking regular meals (RM group) . The results were as follows : ( 1 ) Nutritional intake of 1500 kcal/day was achieved at the 2 nd week for the LF group, and at the 8 th week for the RM group. ( 2 ) Body weight increased up to +6.6% at the 4 th week for the LF group as compared with the weight at the 1 st week, while the RM group showed - 2 . 1% at the same week. ( 3 ) The LF group showed 0.66 times of defecation per day on the average at the 3 rd week, but the RM group could not reach by the 12 th week. ( 4 ) The liquid formula did not develop the phobia of becoming fatter, while the 3 patients of the RM group showed the vicious cycle of gastrointestinal discomforts-food phobia-refusal to eat, after exacerbation of the gastrointestinal symptoms at the initial stage of treatment. Thus, the liquid formula could improve the gastrointestinal symptoms, resulting in disruption of the vicious cycle, and the LF group motivated themselves to obtain the steady increase in body weight.
