Girls with anorexia may do fine with day treatment

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa may be able to safely participate in outpatient treatment, according to a new study from Germany. While outpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa is not common in many countries, researchers found that adolescent girls who took part in a day-treatment program didn’t do any worse than those who stayed at a hospital for months of therapy. “I have quite a lot of experience with adolescent patients and I’ve been working with anorexic patients for about 20 years,” Dr. Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann told Reuters Health. Anorexia nervosa is an intense fear of gaining weight that results in self-starvation and the loss of an unhealthy amount of weight.