2024 Volume 64 Issue 6 Pages 551-560
Background : The Chiba Prefectural Support Base Hospital for Eating Disorders provides consultation support to patients and their families.
Objectives : To analyze the relationship between consultation content and body mass index (BMI).
Methods : The consultations were classified into detailed categories, such as patient symptoms and treatment history, for use with NVivo, an analysis support software for qualitative and mixed studies. We performed a chi-square test.
Results : A total of 1,283 consultations were conducted during the study period : 25.6％ from an extremely emaciated group, 7.2％ from a severely emaciated group, and 13.6％ from a group with normal BMI, each of which is a subclassification of DSM-V. Regardless of BMI severity, approximately 63.5％ of all the respondents mentioned a desire for a facility specializing in eating disorder treatment. Chi-square tests were performed for each item and BMI severity. Statistically significant items were anxiety and resistance regarding physical aspects and treatment in the extremely emaciated group ; consultation and medical knowledge in the severely emaciated group ; painfulness of symptoms in the moderately emaciated group ; difficulty in making appointments for consultation in the mildly emaciated group ; and behavioral symptoms such as overeating and vomiting and psychological consultation in the normal BMI group.
Conclusion : Patients and their families needed counseling on how to cope with the strain from symptoms that vary with BMI and the medical system, including access to a facility specializing in treatment.
